The Pezberry Secret: The Complete Collection
by ocfanatic2013
Summary: Every single chapter of The Pezberry Secret stories
1. Introduction

**This is every single chapter of _The Pezberry Secret _stories, minus _The Pezberry Secret: Senior Year_. However, that chapter was originally inspired by a flashback from a chapter of the original _The Pezberry Secret_, so I just added the new parts into the flashback. **

**I had wanted everything to be in one chapter, but when I went to make sure everything was there it took forever to load on my computer and eventually locked it up for a few minutes, so I put every story into a separate chapter. However, I did split up _The Pezberry Secret_ into two parts. I split them when I skipped ahead ten years. **

**Just so you know, after this story, I am offically closing _The Pezberry Secret_ chapter (no pun intended lol) in my life. However, I will be continuing on my other stories. I hope you guys enjoyed reading these stories as I enjoyed writing them! :)**


	2. The Pezberry Secret: The Beginning

**_The Pezberry Secret: The Beginning_**

Rachel Berry sat in English class. The teacher asked a question and she raised her hand. She heard a sigh from behind her. Rolling her eyes, she turned around. "Do you have a problem, Santana?" she asked. Santana Lopez gave her a fake smile.

"Of course not, Man-hands. Please, continue on with the mindless chatter you're always spewing out your rather large mouth." Santana said. Rachel gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Ms. Lopez!" the teacher yelled.

"Yes?" Santana asked innocently

"Apologize to Rachel now."

"I'm sorry that you have a big mouth Rachel." Santana said.

"Ms. Lopez! Detention."

"What?" Santana exclaimed.

"You will be cleaning out the janitor's closet closest to the choir room." the teacher instructed. Santana sighed. As the bell rang, she picked up her bag.

"Thanks, a lot Man-hands." Santana said before walking out of the room. Rachel watched after the other girl and sighed. She went to her next class, which was, again, with Santana. Every class she had was with Santana. Which made it extremely hard to ignore her growing feelings for the other girl. Santana looked at the door. She opened the door and looked in. "This is disgusting." she muttered. She walked into the closet and started cleaning. Rachel walked by the closet and saw Santana cleaning. She walked into the closet.

"Hello, Santana." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"What do you want Berry?"

"I need to look for something. I won't bother you." Rachel closed the door and subtly locked when Santana's back was turned.

"Whatever, just find what you need and then get out." Santana said. Rachel pretended to pick something up and then tried to open the door.

"Santana? The door is stuck." Rachel said.

"You have got to be kidding me. You locked us in here?" she exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't mean to!" Rachel said. Santana sighed. Rachel walked over to the wall and sat down.

"We could take this opportunity to work on our scales for Glee Club." Rachel said.

"Berry, will you please just shut up so we can both get out of here alive?" Santana growled.

"Santana, my talking won't kill us." Rachel said.

"No, but it may get you killed by me." Santana threatened. Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the floor. Santana noticed this and decided to make small talk.

"What are you thinking about?" Rachel looked shocked.

"Wha… What?" Santana rolled her eyes.

"What's on your mind Berry?"

"The Britney number. I am so nervous. Last time we performed in front of the school, we almost got the club cancelled."

"That's because you guys sang _'Push It'_ and practically did it on the stage." Santana laughed.

"And the choreography isn't as risqué for _'Toxic'_?" Rachel threw back smiling.

"Touché." Santana could not believe she was laughing with Rachel Berry. The two settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence, which was soon broken by Rachel.

"Are you nervous about your solo in _'Toxic'_?"

"You know, ever since Mr. Schue gave me that solo in _'Don't Stop Believing'_ at Regionals, I haven't gotten as nervous about solos. I mean, I don't care what anyone says about me being in Glee Club anymore. I have fun." Santana admitted.

"Santana, you don't have to convince me. I meant what I said at Sectionals last year. I believe you didn't give Sue the set list and I believe that you love Glee Club." Rachel smiled.

"Thanks, Rachel. Surprisingly, that means a lot to me." Santana said.

"Oh my god." Rachel said.

"What? Did you see a mouse or something?" Santana started glancing around.

"No. You just… you called me Rachel. I don't think you have ever done that before." Rachel said.

"Hmm… you're right." Santana said.

"I mean, you don't have to back to calling me Berry. I was just making an observation." Rachel hurried on. Santana laughed.

"You're kind of funny, Rachel. I never noticed that before because you were too busy making me mad by yelling at us." Rachel looked down. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Santana apologized.

"No. It isn't you. I spent the summer trying to fix my OCD about perfection and stuff like that."

"Rachel, most of the time, the criticism you give is good. But that fact is overpowered by the fact that you spend 99.9 percent of rehearsal yelling at us or fighting for a solo in every competition. If you just chilled out a bit, the others may appreciate what you say." Santana said. Rachel slowly nodded her head.

"I think… I think you're right Santana."

"When am I not?" Santana smiled.

"I assume you don't want to hear my answer." Rachel said. The two girls laughed. Santana, who had been standing on the opposite side of the closet, sat down by Rachel.

"You know, when you aren't being all annoying, you're kind of cool, Rachel." Santana said.

"And when you aren't constantly insulting me, you are too." Rachel replied. Santana looked down towards the girl. Slowly, she leaned closer and the last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Rachel leaning up with her eyes closed. Next thing she knew, the two were kissing. Santana didn't know who pulled away first, but in her head she was cussing them out.

"That was…" Santana trailed off.

"Unexpected." Rachel finished. Santana looked away. "But it wasn't awkward." Rachel continued.

"That it was not. I don't know which scares me more. The fact that it wasn't awkward or the fact that I kind of want to do it again. Did I just say that out loud?" Santana said. Rachel laughed softly.

"Yeah, you did. But I don't mind." When Santana turned her head to look at Rachel, Rachel kissed her. This time, Santana pulled away.

"What about Finn?" she asked.

"What about him?"

"Well, you're cheating on him, Rachel." Santana said.

"Well before I decide anything about Finn, I need to know what this is leading to." Rachel countered. Santana swallowed both to clear her throat and to swallow her pride.

"I'm not so sure that I want it to end." Rachel smiled.

"I feel the same. But I don't want to hurt Finn." Santana nodded.

"There is no way that I can ask you to choose. Not after how horrible I've been to you and how good he has been." She got up to move, with Rachel stopping her.

"Santana, no. I don't want to hurt Finn, but I will if I have to. I know I felt something real there. Something that I never even felt with Finn." Rachel admitted.

"Really?" Santana asked.

"Santana, I'm a lot of things, but I am _not_ a liar." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I think I'm starting to really like you. And, honestly, it scares me." Santana said.

"Hey, this scares me too. Up until ten minutes ago, I couldn't stand you." Rachel replied. Santana looked around.

"Maybe it's all the cleaning chemicals." Rachel hit her, causing the other girl to laugh.

"Santana! That's not funny. This is serious. I like you. You, supposedly," she said giving the girl a pointed glare earning a sly grin from Santana, "like me as well. What are we going to do about it?" Santana nodded.

"OK. Here is what we're going to do. You and I are going to start dating."

"You could try asking me." Rachel said, but Santana did not hear her as she continued.

"But, you're going to continue dating Finn."

"Still waiting to… wait. What?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. I think we should keep us a secret, at least for now. I mean, I really do like you, but you get bullied enough. If people know we are dating, anyone who hates me is going to target you." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "And while I would totally fight for you, I can't be around you 24/7. However, that option doesn't sound so bad right now." Santana continued.

"That makes sense, Santana. But I'm still waiting to be asked something." Rachel said. Santana gave her a blank stare.

"What?"

"Maybe I don't want to date you. Maybe I just want to make out. But you wouldn't know, because you haven't asked." Rachel smiled.

"Rachel, will you please be my girlfriend? Please, with a cherry on top?" Santana smiled.

"Well, if you're going to throw in the cherry plea, I don't think I can say no." Rachel smiled and laughed. "Seriously though, I would love to Santana." Santana rolled her eyes and laughed as she leaned in for another kiss. However, Rachel saw her roll her eyes and hit her. Santana laughed.

"Sorry, baby girl." Rachel kissed her new girlfriend.

"Baby girl?" Rachel asked.

"Yea. I mean, if you don't like it, I won't call you that. Do you like it?" Santana asked.

"I love it, Santana." Rachel said. The two girls smiled at each other. Santana leaned down and kissed Rachel again. When she pulled away, Rachel was still smiling with her eyes closed.

"So you want to try to open the door?" Santana asked, grinning.

"Not if we keep doing that." Rachel said.

"Sounds fun." Santana said. Rachel laughed and leaned up to kiss Santana again.

"You know, if you were to not wear those animal sweaters and skirts all the time, so many more people would want to get up on this." Santana said.

"So you would want to watch people hit on me when you know you can't do anything about it?" Rachel asked.

"Well… no. But it would give me _some_ satisfaction, since I can't just mack on you whenever I want." Santana said. Rachel thought about it.

"Santana, I like my clothes. If you want to date me, you're going to have to accept me exactly how I am." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I'm not going to force you to change, Rachel. If you're happy, then I'm happy." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Thank you, Santana." She kissed her girlfriend again. That night Santana was happier than her parents had ever seen her. She actually conversed with her family and in a polite way. She went up to her room and started doing her homework. Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

**New Message**

**Rachel**

Santana instantly smiled and opened the text.

**Hey, I have a surprise for you. –R**

Santana raised an eyebrow even though she knew Rachel couldn't see it. She quickly typed out a response.

**Oh really? What is it? –S**

**If I told you it wouldn't exactly be a surprise. –R**

**Do I even get a hint? –S**

**You really want a hint? –R**

**Duh! –S**

**Okay, your hint is… you will get to see it tomorrow at school. –R**

…**That's a terrible hint, Rachel. –S**

**:) I never said it would be a good one. –R**

**But Raaaaaach. I need a hint! –S**

**Sorry. –R**

**This isn't very nice. –S**

**San, believe me. You're going to want to see it for yourself. –R**

…**Okay… -S**

**Hey, I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow? –R**

**Definitely. Maybe we can sneak into the janitor's closet? :) –S**

…**I'll think about it. –R**

**I expect some answers tomorrow, little girl. –S**

**You'll get them. Don't worry. –R**

**Lol. Okay. Night baby girl. –S**

**:) Night, San. –R**

Santana put her phone down and lay down on her bed. She knew there was no point even thinking about doing her homework now, because she wasn't going to be able to concentrate on it. When Santana got to school that morning, she headed straight for the choir room, thinking Rachel would be there. Suddenly, she heard quiet a few loud gasps and looked around, confused. She saw Finn slam his locker and run down the hallway with his Hoodie. Her eyes widened when she saw who he was going to. Rachel was dressed like Britney Spears circa _…Baby One More Time_. "Oh my god." she said under her breath. She swallowed as Rachel winked at her as her and Finn walked by. She quickly made her way to the choir room. Rachel and Finn soon followed. Rachel sat down in the chair next to her. Santana had to remind herself to be disgusted. She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh great. Now I have to sit by the dwarf who got me detention." she said to Brittany. She looked over and pretended to just notice Rachel's outfit. "Well, Rachel, congratulations. Normally you dress like the fantasy of a perverted Japanese businessman with a very dark, specific fetish, but I actually dig this look. Yay." she said, clapping her hands together slightly.

"Thank you." Rachel said. The two shared a look and Santana smirked.

"I think what Santana is trying to say, Rachel – though I risk expulsion by saying so – is that it seems Britney Spears has really helped you blossom. That's all." Kurt said, giving Mr. Schue a pointed look. '_Yea it has.'_ Santana thought.

"Bouncy, bouncy, bounc-" Artie said.

"Hey, hey!" Finn said. Santana glared at Artie.

"I think I have just been afraid to dress like a pretty girl because I have never really felt like one." Rachel said. Santana felt her heart break as she watched Rachel talk. After Glee that morning, Santana caught up with Rachel.

"So, Berry would this be what you were referring to last night?" she said, keeping up the act in case someone were to hear. Rachel nodded.

"Do you really like it?" she asked. Santana looked around to make sure no one was looking and then pushed Rachel into the nearest closet. As soon as the door was closed, she kissed Rachel.

"You could have warned me." Santana said.

"It was a surprise." Rachel replied.

"You could have at least told me that you were changing your image." Santana said.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Rachel said.

"And the answer is yes. I do like it. But I told you; you don't have to change for me. I like you the way you are." Santana said.

"This wasn't for you, Santana. This was for me." Rachel said.

"As long as it wasn't for Finnoncence." Santana said.

"It was for me." Rachel repeated.

"Baby, if this is what you want, then I'm not going to stop you. I just want to make sure that _you_ are okay with it." Santana said. Rachel hesitated, and then nodded. Santana made a mental note of the hesitation, followed by Rachel's eyes looking at the ground. "Hey… what is it, pretty girl?" Santana softly said. Rachel looked up.

"I am so happy that I finally have you." she whispered. Santana smiled, even though she was confused.

"You finally have me?" she asked.

"I… I've liked you for awhile." Rachel admitted.

"Define awhile." Santana said, smirking.

"Since Sectionals last year." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Really?" she asked. Rachel nodded.

"I think that's why I got so jealous when you and Finn had that fling last year." she continued. Santana's smile faltered, but Rachel did not see it. She knew Rachel deserved to know the truth, but she could not break her heart like that. Rachel looked up. "San? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yea. Yea I'm fine." Santana said, putting on a smile. She leaned down and kissed Rachel again.

"You wanna blow off the rest of the day?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel Berry, wanting to break the rules?" she teased. Rachel shrugged and smiled.

"I guess that's just what you do to me." she said. Santana smiled.

"We can't go to my house. My parents are home." Santana said.

"My dads are at work, so we can go to my house." Rachel said.

"Well let's go then." Santana said. The two headed to Rachel's house. Santana was surprised to find out that Rachel lived two blocks away from her house. She walked into the Berry household for the first time. "Nice house." Santana commented.

"Thanks." Rachel said. The two made their way to Rachel's room. Santana did a double take when she entered.

"Wow." she said.

"What?" Rachel distractedly asked, putting her stuff down.

"Your room is really… predictable." Santana said. Rachel turned around.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked. Santana decided not to test the waters with her new girlfriend.

"Its just really… pink." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"It's okay if you hate my bedroom, Santana. Every other Glee member that has been in here has had the exact same reaction as you." she said. It was Santana's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"And exactly how many Glee members have been in here?" she asked.

"Kurt, Jesse, Puck, and Finn." Rachel replied. Santana decided to let that go, seeing as one of the four was gay and Rachel had been in a relationship with the others. "So what do you want to do?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned and walked over to Rachel. "Oh no." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel. "Santana." Rachel laughed.

"Yes, Rachel?" Santana asked.

"Not that _this_ is not fun, but can we just hang out for awhile?" Rachel asked, closing her eyes. She regretted the words immediately, knowing that they would send Santana back to school and killing their relationship before it barely had time to start. Santana surprised her by nodding.

"Yea. I mean, if that's what you want." Rachel smiled and put her DVD copy of _Wicked _in her DVD player. She sat down on her bed with Santana and the other girl pulled out her phone. After listening to Rachel singing along to the movie for a while, Santana opened her mouth. "Hey Rach, what do you want your ring tone to be on my phone?" Santana asked.

"Well, what is it now?" Rachel asked. Santana hesitated.

"Uh…" Rachel turned around.

"Santana?"

"I don't remember what it is right now. What do you want it to be changed to?" Santana asked.

"I want to know what it is before I change it." Rachel picked up her phone and started dialing Santana's number.

"Rachel, I don't think that's a good id-" Santana was cut off by the sound of screeching cats filling the air. Rachel looked at her in disbelief.

"Really? _That's_ your ring tone for me?" Rachel asked.

"Oh yeah. That's what I put." Santana unsuccessfully tried to play dumb.

"Why?"

"Because up until yesterday, that's what I heard whenever you spoke." Santana admitted.

"OK, we definitely need to change that." Rachel said.

"Wait. You aren't mad?" Santana asked.

"Nah. Your ring tone on my phone is the unedited version of _'Forget You.'_ Yours is… not completely untrue." Rachel said. The two of them laughed.

"Seriously though. What song?" Santana asked.

"Let me go through your songs." Rachel took Santana's phone.

"Hmm… _'Hate On Me'._ No. _'The Boy is Mine._' No. '_I Wanna Sex You Up.' _Definitely not." Santana laughed. "Justin Bieber song. Justin Bieber song. More Justin Bieber songs. Wow, Santana. I didn't really take you for the type to like Justin Bieber."

"Uh…Brittany put it on there?" Santana said.

"Santana." Rachel said.

"Fine. I put them on there. But don't tell anyone that-" Santana started.

"You're a secret Belieber!" Rachel exclaimed.

"Rachel! Shut up." Santana said.

"Sorry. I won't say anything else about it. Right after this. Santana, I can't believe you like Justin Bieber." Rachel said.

"Just go through the songs."

"Wait a second. Just how against Justin Bieber are you? Because I think I found the perfect song for my ring tone." Rachel said.

"Its not _'One Time'_ is it? Because I don't think I can do that." Santana said.

"No. It's _'Kiss and Tell_.' Want me to play the chorus?" Rachel asked.

"I don't need you to. It is perfect." Santana smiled.

"Yeah… just like me." Rachel said. Santana started to roll her eyes but Rachel held up her fist.

"Don't make me hit you again, Lopez."

"Hey! I thought we were calling each other by our first names." Santana said.

"I have never not called you by your first name. You have always called me Berry." Rachel said. Santana scoffed, earning a slap on the arm from Rachel.

"Just set up the song, Berr- Rachel." Santana smiled at Rachel's glare as Rachel set up the song. "Can we please change my ring tone on your phone?" Santana asked.

"What song do you want?" Rachel asked. Santana took her phone back and scrolled down to find a song.

"I got the perfect song in mind."

"Oh really? What song…. oh my god. No, Santana." Rachel said.

"What?" Santana asked, grinning slyly.

"I am not putting _'I Wanna Sex You Up'_ on my phone. Not even as a ring tone." Rachel said.

Santana grumbled. "Fine." She mumbled under her breath as she looked for a different song.

"Or _'I'm A Slave 4 U._' Santana, find a decent song, please." Rachel said.

"I was going to say _'Endless Love._' But _I'm A Slave 4 U_ works too." Santana said.

"That is a great song. But I sang that with Mr. Schue, remember?" Rachel asked.

"Oh yeah." Santana winced and shivered uncomfortably. "Never mind. _'Hello?'_ What about that one?"

"Sang it with Jesse." Rachel said.

"OK, what songs have you not sang with other people?" Santana asked.

Rachel checked her play lists on her phone. "I think I found a perfect one."

"Who is it by?" Santana asked.

"Justin Bieber." Rachel said.

"Rach…."

"Hear me out." Rachel said.

"What is it called?" Santana asked.

"You are gonna love it. It is called _'Latin Girl.' _What do you think?" Rachel asked.

Santana smiled. "I like it. Set it up."

"What about text messages?" Rachel asked.

"What is your favorite Justin Bieber song?" Santana asked.

"It is _'U Smile.'_ Why?" Rachel replied. Santana messed with her phone for a second, then took Rachel's phone and sent herself a text. Suddenly _'U Smile'_ filled the air that Rachel's confusion had made silent. Rachel smiled and took her phone back, set something up, then did the same as Santana had done. Her phone notified her that Santana had sent her a text with Justin Bieber's _'Favorite Girl.'_

"OK, I may find this cute right now, but don't text or call me at school." Santana laughed.

"Well, okay. I mean if you want to go eight hours without talking to me or hearing me say stuff like…" Rachel leaned over and whispered in Santana's ear.

"I can keep my phone on vibrate." Santana quickly said. Rachel laughed and kissed Santana again.

"I thought you just wanted to hang out." Santana teased.

"Santana."

"Yes, Rachel?"

"Just shut up and kiss me." Rachel said.

"Well, I don't like to disobey people…" Santana said, smirking as Rachel rolled her eyes. She leaned down and kissed her girlfriend again. The next day at school, Santana expected Rachel to be back in her animal sweaters. She was surprised to see her still in her Britney outfit. Surprised, but not exactly disappointed. However, she almost had to beat a couple of guys that she caught staring at her girl. As she sat in Glee Club, she found it extremely difficult to take her eyes off of Rachel. She tuned into the conversation that was occurring. They'd been dating for all of two days and Santana couldn't believe what was happening. She was feeling… jealous? Santana Lopez never got jealous of anybody. But there she was getting jealous of Finnoncence, of all people. Then again, he did get to kiss Rachel in public. And spend time with her while she was wearing her Britney Spears outfit.

"I was pretty sure Artie's legs don't work." Quinn said. Finn and Artie had just announced that they were on the football team.

"Wait, you're back on the football team?" Rachel asked Finn. He nodded.

"Suddenly, you're way hotter to me. Weird." Santana said. Rachel looked at her and Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked in her direction. To anyone else, it could seem as though Santana was sending Rachel a message like _'Watch your back, dwarf._' But Rachel knew that Santana was just flirting with her. However, she wasn't in the mood for her secret girlfriend's flirtatious actions. She had to deal with her not-secret boyfriend's actions. Mr. Schue walked in.

"Guys, how about we get to work on _'Toxic.'_ Santana are you ready?" Mr. Schue asked.

"I'm always ready to sing a solo Berry did not get." Santana said. She made her way down to the front of the room, smirking at Rachel as she walked by. After Glee rehearsal, Santana cornered Rachel after everyone had left. "Berry, are you okay?" Santana quietly asked.

"I'm fine, Santana." Rachel said, holding back tears.

"No, you aren't. Rachel, what's wrong? I'm sorry for flirting with Finn. Is that what this is about?" Santana asked.

"No. Well, yeah, that did hurt. But I can't believe that Finn would rejoin the football team. He said he would do anything to make me feel safe." Rachel said.

"Where you wearing your Britney outfit when he said that?" Santana asked.

"Well, yeah…" Santana smirked. "What are you smiling at, Santana?"

"Well, that outfit _is_ very distracting." she said, grabbing Rachel's waist.

"Santana now isn't the time for this." Rachel said.

"Rachel, come on. Why do you even care about Finn? You have me." Santana said.

"San, we've only been dating two days. I've been with Finn since Regionals." Rachel said.

"And? What's your point?" Santana asked.

"Did you really expect me to get over a three month relationship in a day?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe…" Santana said.

"Santana! Come on." Rachel said.

"I'm only kidding Rachel. Of course not I didn't expect you to do that. But just remember that even if Finn does not like your new look, I definitely do." Santana said.

"Really?" Rachel said.

"Yea, I do. And I think that matters more since I'm more important, right?" Santana asked, smiling.

"Yes you are." Rachel said, smiling back.

"But just know that if you want to go back to your old clothes, I'm fine with that too. Just feel free to keep that outfit." Santana said.

"Santana Lopez!" Rachel laughed.

"Yes?" she asked innocently. Rachel rolled her eyes. "How about you and I go back to my house?" Santana said, kissing Rachel. Rachel smiled into the kiss.

"San. Santana. Wait." She pulled away

"What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"I'm not ready for…you know…" Rachel trailed off.

"Rach, I get that. And I can't believe this is about to come out of my mouth, but I'm willing to wait until you are ready. I don't care how long it takes. I'll wait. I have never said that to anyone before, but its how I feel." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Thank you Santana."

"No problem, babe." They went to class. At lunch, Santana saw Finn go with Rachel out into the hallway. Curious, she said she had to go to the bathroom and followed the two.

"Finn, you said you would do anything to make me feel safe." she heard Rachel say.

"Rachel, how come its okay for you to feel safe with me off the team, but not for me to feel safer with you in your animal sweaters? Anybody could just come in and take you from me at any moment." Finn said. Santana looked down. "Rach, you want me to feel safe too, don't you?" Finn asked.

"Of course I do Finn. You know I would do anything for you. I love you." Rachel said. Santana closed her eyes and leaned up against the wall.

"Crap." Santana whispered.

"I love you too, Rachel. But I can't quit football. Its apart of me." Finn said.

"I understand that. Look, I'll go back to my old clothes." Rachel said.

"Only if that's what you want." Finn said.

"I don't really feel like myself, anyway." Rachel said.

"I love you Rachel." Finn said.

"I love you too, Finn. I love you more than anything or anyone in the world. I'll never leave you." Rachel said. Santana felt her heart break as she heard that.

"No." she whispered. She could feel the tears coming and she started to go into the nearest bathroom. She heard the two walking towards her.

"Oh, hey Santana." Finn said. Santana turned around with a fake smile.

"Finnocence, Man-hands. They finally let you two out of the cage?" she said, avoiding Rachel's eyes. Finn was about to say something when he noticed Santana's eyes.

"Santana are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Santana glared at him.

"I'm fine, Frankenteen." she said. She didn't need the guy keeping Rachel from being entirely hers acting as if he cared about her. She went into the restroom, leaving Finn confused and Rachel hurt.

"Finn, I'm going to go check on her, okay?" she said.

"Good luck." he said. Rachel followed Santana into the bathroom.

"San?"

"Go away RuPaul. I don't need your pity." Santana said.

"How much did you hear?" Rachel asked.

"Enough. Enough to know that you love Finn more than anyone in the world and would do anything for him and you would never leave him." Santana said.

"Santana…" Rachel began. Santana hit the counter.

"How do you think that felt, Rachel? Huh? Especially after you told me that I was more important than him not even four hours ago." Santana yelled.

"Santana, I love him." Rachel said. Santana finally let the tears fall freely. She was sobbing. Rachel started to speak again, but Santana held up a hand.

"Don't bother, Rachel. We're over. We were stupid to think this could even work out." she managed to say. She backed away from Rachel and sat down on the floor, crying. Rachel knew that Santana expected her to leave, which was exactly why she did not. She walked over to the crying girl. "Go away, Rachel." Santana said.

"No. I won't let you push me away like this." Rachel said.

"You made me." Santana said.

"You're the one who told me to stay with Finn. Santana, I'm sorry you had to hear that. But this was your idea." Rachel said.

"No. Do _not_ try to justify it like that." Santana said. Rachel looked down.

"Oh my god. San… your hand is bleeding." she said. Santana looked down.

"Whatever, its fine." she said.

"No. I have a first aid kit in my bag." Rachel walked over and got the kit out of her bag. "Give me your hand." Santana reluctantly let Rachel tape up her hand.

"It must have happened when I hit the counter." she whispered. Rachel looked at her.

"San, I really am sorry. But you said it yourself, its going to take time for me to completely get over Finn." Rachel said.

"Rachel, it just hurt so much." Santana said. Rachel looked away. "And I know it shouldn't, because we have been together two days, but it does. It scares me and it makes me think that maybe…" Santana trailed off.

"Maybe what?" Rachel asked. Santana did not answer. "Santana, sweetie, please look at me." Rachel said. Santana looked up at Rachel.

"That maybe I'm already falling in love with you. And while I do like you Rachel, I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Its just too much too fast." Santana said. Rachel held her breath. She had never seen this side of Santana before. "Rachel, please say something." Santana said.

"Santana, its okay if that scares you. Honestly, it scares me too." Rachel said.

"I think we should wait awhile before we actually fall in love. Can't we just have fun for awhile?" Santana said.

"Whoa. You said wait awhile before falling in love." Rachel said.

"Your point?" Santana asked.

"You didn't say we can't fall in love." Rachel said. She smiled at Santana.

"No, I didn't." Santana said.

"You think there's a possibility we could fall in love?" Rachel asked.

"I honestly don't know what to think anymore, Rachel."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"I thought I hated you. Now I'm dating you. I'm having all of these feelings for you." Santana said. Rachel looked at the girl.

"Don't you think I'm scared too? I should be terrified, thinking this is just some sort of joke or prank. But I don't think that. And that may be what scares me the most, Santana." Rachel said

"Rachel, that's not what this is." Santana said.

"I know that." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I want to see where this goes." Santana said.

"So do I, Santana. But you can't get mad every time Finn is around if you insist on my staying with him. I told you, say the word and I'll break up with him." Rachel said.

"I promise not to get mad anymore." Santana said.

"Thank you." Rachel leaned down and kissed Santana. "So are we good, San?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled.

"Yea, we're good, Rach." Santana kissed Rachel again. Rachel and Santana left the bathroom after Rachel finished taping up Santana's hand. Rachel entered the cafeteria first, heading to her table with Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, Mike, and Artie.

"Everything okay?" Finn asked. She smiled at him.

"Everything is perfect." she replied. Santana walked into the cafeteria and saw Finn and Rachel sitting together. She started to turn back around, but remembered her promise to Rachel. She saw Rachel watching her and calmly walked back to her lunch table, which happened to be right next to Rachel's. Santana knew Rachel could her conversation that she had been having with Brittany earlier, they were that close.

"Hey, San, are you okay?" Brittany asked. Santana smiled at her best friend.

"Yea, I'm fine B."

"What happened to your hand?" Quinn said.

"Clumsy me. I fell in the bathroom and cut my hand on the counter trying to catch my self." Santana said. Brittany nodded.

"So, S, want to get together tonight?" Brittany asked. Out of her peripheral vision, Santana saw Rachel glance their way. Rachel tried her best not to pay attention, but Santana knew what she had to do.

"No, B. I don't think we can do that anymore." Santana said.

"Why not?" Brittany asked.

"Just cause, okay, B?" Santana said, smiling softly at her best friend. Brittany nodded.

"Okay, S. Maybe Artie will go out with me." Santana smiled.

"I'm sure he would, B." Out of the corner of her eye, Santana saw Rachel visibly relax. She smirked and figured this was her only way to be able to have a conversation with Rachel in public. "Eavesdrop much, Berry?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Santana." Rachel replied.

"You were obviously listening to my conversation with B." Santana said.

"I was doing nothing of the sort, Santana. Now if you would be so kind as to leave me alone, I would like to continue my lunch and conversation with my boyfriend." Rachel said. Rachel smirked as Santana glared at her.

"Have fun trying to get passed Finn's stupidity." Santana said. She smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Santana, please do not insult my boyfriend." Rachel said. Santana had to look close enough to see a smile playing on Rachel's lips.

"Calm down, Berry. I won't insult your precious boyfriend any longer." Santana said.

"Thank you." Rachel turned back to her lunch. Santana discreetly handed Rachel a note she had written earlier. Rachel looked around before opening it.

_You and me. My house. Tonight. What do you say?_

Rachel texted her back.

**New Message**

**Rachel **

**I would love to.**

Santana smirked as she read the message. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Santana got up and winked at Rachel as she walked by. Rachel fought a smile as she felt her heart swell. '_Please let this lead to something.'_ Rachel found herself thinking. She followed Santana to their next class. Santana handed her yet another note.

_Sorry for overreacting. I know that I told you to stay with him. I think that this may lead to lead to something great, but even if it doesn't then I still want to see this through to the end. :) Anyway, I can't wait for tonight. ;) - S_

Rachel smiled as she read the note.

_Baby, its quite all right. You had the right to overreact. I hope that this… us… does in fact lead to something great. I can't wait to see where this relationship takes us. I'm really excited for tonight as well. - R_

She handed Santana the note when no one was looking. Santana read the note and tried not to smile. She wrote a reply to the note and handed it to Rachel.

_Baby girl, you are so amazing. Anyone else would have dumped me the minute I said that they should keep dating their old boyfriend. That's exactly why I think that we are going to be great. - S_

Rachel felt her heart melt at that. She knew that she could not respond otherwise they would get caught for sure. She quickly looked at Santana and saw the other girl looking at her as well. Santana opened the door when Rachel got to her house. "Berry." she greeted. She ushered the other girl into the house. As soon as the door was closed, Rachel kissed Santana.

"I'm so sorry." Rachel said.

"For what?" Santana asked.

"For what happened at lunch. I never meant to hurt you." Rachel said.

"Rach, I told you, I'm fine. Can we please stop bringing it up?" Santana quietly asked. Rachel was taken aback by the soft tone of the cheerleader. She had never seen this side of her.

"Sure, of course." Rachel whispered. Santana softly smiled. She led the other girl into the living room.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" she asked. Rachel nodded. Santana gestured towards a shelf that was full of movies. "Take your pick." she said. While Rachel went to inspect the selection, Santana opened a drawer that was full of takeout menus.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. She looked at Rachel who had her back to Santana while trying to choose a movie. Rachel nodded without looking at Santana. The cheerleader walked over and put her arms around the smaller girl's waist. As Rachel fell into the embrace, Santana softly kissed Rachel's neck.

"I'm sorry I blew up at you earlier today." she whispered.

"I thought you wanted to stop talking about it." Rachel said.

"I know, I just… I needed to say that. I don't want you mad at me." Santana said.

"Its fine, Santana. I'm not mad." Rachel assured her. She smiled up at the taller girl. Santana smiled back and went back to the menu drawer.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked. An hour later, Santana was lying on the couch with Rachel in her arms. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee table and two dirty plates. To Santana's surprise, Rachel had _not_ chosen a musical, despite the fact that Santana's mother was an avid musical lover. Rachel had chosen the movie _Jumper_, stating it was one of her favorite movies.

"You know, I never pegged you for an action movie kind of person." Santana said.

"Are you kidding? I love action movies." Rachel said.

"Really?" Santana said. She was surprised. She loved seeing this side of Rachel. The two laid in a comfortable silence.

"This should be extremely awkward." Rachel said.

"The captain of the Glee Club and the head cheerleader together? Yea, it should." Santana said.

"I thought you weren't head Cheerio anymore." Rachel said. Santana winced.

"I… I'm not." she said.

"San, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Rachel said.

"It is fine, Rachel." Santana said. She smiled at Rachel.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rachel asked.

"Sure. You can ask me anything." Santana said.

"Why did you lose your spot to Quinn?" Santana looked away.

"I… I did something that I really regret doing and Coach Sylvester found out about it."

"What did you do?" Rachel softly asked.

"You're just going to think that I am pathetic." Santana said.

"I could never think that." Rachel said.

"I got a boob job over the summer. Sue has a no plastics policy on Cheerios, so I lost my spot." Santana said. Rachel silently nodded.

"Please say something." Santana said.

"While I don't exactly condone what you did, seeing as we are sixteen and have no idea what we will look like in ten years, I do admire that you recognize that it may have been a fast paced decision." Rachel said. Santana nodded, taking in her girlfriend's words.

"Why did you do it?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. I guess I wanted people to notice me more. They always notice Quinn, until they realize what a prude she is. You're the first person to like me for me, Rachel." Santana explained.

"Santana, you're an amazing person." Rachel said.

"You know the homecoming assembly is coming up." Santana said. She was obviously trying to change the subject. Rachel laughed.

"Very subtle."

"You ready for the performance?" Santana asked.

"Yea, I am." Rachel said.

"You know, I'll be singing to you, right?" Santana said. Rachel blushed.

"So do you have a date to the dance?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I _wanted _to go with you." Santana said.

"Santana…" Rachel said, trailing off.

"I get it, Rachel. Its okay. Anyway, Sam Evans asked me to go as friends." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm guessing you're going with Finn?"

"I'm really sorry, Santana." Rachel said.

"Don't be. Just promise that you'll sneak off with me a couple times." Santana said.

"Deal." Rachel agreed. A week later, the day before the assembly during rehearsal, the power in the auditorium went off.

"Everyone just hang tight. I'm going to go see what is up with the power. Stay where you guys are so you do not get hurt." Mr. Schuester said.

"This is completely unacceptable. I need light to be able to rehearse." Rachel exclaimed. Everyone, including Santana groaned.

"Berry, just stay still. We do not need you falling of the stage." Santana said. Suddenly, she got an idea. Carefully, she made her way over to where she had last seen Rachel, which was not very far from where Santana had been when the power went off. There were not any other members in between them. She grabbed Rachel's hand.

"Hey, its me." she whispered in Rachel's ear. She immediately kissed Rachel. She was given an opportunity to be able to make out with Rachel in public and she was going to take full advantage of it.

"What are you doing?" Rachel whispered in her ear.

"Just stay calm." Santana replied. She and Rachel kissed for about ten minutes until Mr. Schue came back in.

"The lights will be back on in two minutes guys." Santana gave Rachel one last kiss and made her way back to her spot. The lights came back on and they went back to rehearsing. As Santana made her way to her car, she felt her phone buzz.

**New Message**

**Rachel **

**I can't believe you did that.**

Santana smirked and responded.

**You didn't like it? –S**

**I never said that. –R**

**That's exactly what I thought. –S**

**By the way, you're going to be AMAZING tomorrow. –R**

**:) Thanks, baby. So are you. –S**

"Oh no." Santana said out loud. The next day was the assembly. It was also the day of the homecoming game. The Glee Club was let out of class early to get ready. Finally, it was time to perform. "_Baby can't you see I'm calling? A guy like you should wear a warning." _Brittany sang.

"_You're dangerous. I'm loving it." _Rachel joined in.

"_Too high, can't come down. Losing my head spinning round and round. Oh do you feel me now?" _Mr. Schue sang. Santana found it extremely creepy that he was singing a Britney Spears song with them.

"_With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride. You're toxic, I'm slipping under. With the taste of a poison paradise, I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic? And I love what you do, don't you know that your toxic?"_ the Glee Club sang.

"_It's getting late to give you up. I took a sip from my devil's cup. Slowly, its slipping under me." _Mr. Schue, Brittany, and Rachel sang.

"_With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride. You're toxic, I'm slipping under. With the taste of a poison paradise, I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic? And I love what you do, don't you know that your toxic?"_ the Glee Club sang. Santana looked at Rachel whenever she sang.

"_With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride." _the Glee Club sang.

"_On a ride."_ Santana sang.

"_You're toxic,"_ the Glee Club sang.

" _I'm slipping under."_ Santana sang.

"_With the taste of a poison paradise,"_ the Glee Club sang.

"_I'm addicted to you don't you know that you're toxic?"_ Santana sang.

"_And I love what you do, don't you know that your toxic?"_ the Glee Club sang.

"_With the taste of a poison paradise, I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're toxic?"_ Santana sang.

"_Intoxicate me now, with your loving mouth. I think I'm ready now."_ the Glee Club sang.

"_I think I'm ready now."_ Santana sang.

"_Intoxicate me now, with your loving mouth. I think I'm ready now."_ the Glee Club sang.

"_I think I'm ready now."_ Santana sang.

"_Intoxicate me now, with your loving mouth." _the Glee Club sang.

"_I think I'm ready."_ Santana sang.

"_I think I'm ready now."_ Rachel sang.

After the performance, the group was back in the choir room. "I can't believe what Coach Sylvester did." Mercedes said. Everyone agreed.

"Guys, its fine. You guys did awesome. They loved you. That's all that matters." Mr. Schue said. The Cheerios and the football players went to go get ready for the game. Rachel was making one of her daily MySpace videos of her singing when Santana barged into the room.

"Rachel! Rachel! Rachel!" she said. Rachel smiled. She instantly forgot about the camera and her song.

"Someone is happy." she commented.

"Yea, I am." Santana said. She pulled Rachel into her arms and kissed her. Rachel returned the kiss and pulled away smiling.

"What has gotten into you?" Rachel asked.

"What do you mean?" Santana replied.

"You're bouncing off the walls like a five year old. I have never seen you exert this much energy at one time. In fact, you weren't this happy an hour ago, at school." Rachel explained.

"You do know what today is, right?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Yea, its the day of the homecoming game."

"Which you're going to, right?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"And I am a what?" Santana prodded.

"An… extremely hot girl?" Rachel guessed

"No, well yea, but we already knew that. No, I'm a…. starts with a _'C'_…" Santana said.

"Cheerio?"

"Yes. And cheerleaders have to do what?"

"Cheer?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. But what do they have to do while they cheer?" Santana asked.

"I have no clue." Rachel said.

"Would you like me to draw you a road map?" Santana said.

"It would help." Rachel replied. Santana rolled her eyes.

"They have to smile, Rachel." she said before Rachel could get mad at her for rolling her eyes.

"Ok… so the entire school will see you smile for once." Rachel teased. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"And… I get to spend almost an entire night smiling at my insanely hot girlfriend." she said.

"That _is_ something to be excited about, huh?" Rachel said.

"Uh-huh." Santana said. She smiled and leaned in to kiss Rachel again. "So… what were you doing before I walked in?" Santana asked.

"I was making my MySpace video. The Cheerios need some form of entertainment before they have to go to the game. I figured they would want a new video to insult." Rachel said. Santana winced. "Hey, San. Its okay. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Rachel said.

"You know I don't comment on those videos anymore right? I don't even hang around them when they do. And you know I would totally tell them to stop if it wouldn't give us away." Santana said.

"Baby, I know that. Really, its fine." Rachel said.

"I'm so sorry that you still have to go through that." Santana said.

"Santana, I'm fine." Rachel said. She leaned up and kissed Santana. When Santana got to the game, she saw Rachel talking to Kurt, Finn's mom, and Kurt's dad. She made eye contact with her and walked to a deserted corner. Rachel excused herself and followed. As soon as Rachel turned the corner, Santana was kissing her.

"You were so hot during _Toxic_." Santana said.

"Me? You should have seen yourself." Rachel said.

"I wish we could just hang out together like normal couples." Santana said.

"I won't let you do that." Rachel said.

"Why not?" Santana asked.

"You know how Sue is. She would kick you off the Cheerios in a heartbeat for sure." Rachel said. Santana glanced down at her Cheerios uniform. She knew Rachel was right.

"What if I don't care?" Santana asked.

"Except I know that you do. And I won't let you give up something you love for me." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"If you want me to, I will." Santana said.

"But I don't. I know how much you love the Cheerios. I'm not going to keep you from that." Rachel said. Suddenly, Santana's phone rang.

**Incoming Call**

**Quinn **

Santana answered. "What Q?" she asked.

_"S, where are you?"_ Quinn asked.

"I'm here, I'm on my way. I'll be there in two minutes, okay?"

_"You better hurry before Sue gets here."_ Quinn warned.

"I will." Santana said. She hung up the phone.

"Do you have to go?" Rachel asked.

"Yea I do."

"Have fun doing what you love, San." she said.

"I'll see you while I am cheering." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Bye Cheerio." she said. Santana grinned and kissed Rachel one more time before pulling away from the embrace they had found themselves in.

"Bye." she whispered. Rachel waved as Santana jogged away.

"This can't be happening." Rachel said. Rachel felt her heart race whenever Santana looked at her during the game. She felt her heart break whenever she saw the hurt in Santana's eyes when Rachel cheered for Finn. Rachel knew that Santana knew it was just an act, but that did not make it hurt any less.

Santana felt her heart race every time she looked at Rachel during the football game. She felt her heart break every time she saw Rachel cheer for Finn. Santana knew that Rachel was going to cheer for Finn at times, but that did not make it hurt any less.

Neither girl was able to explain how they had come to have these feelings so fast or even at all. They knew what it meant, but they were in denial. They were in denial to both themselves and each other. They weren't ready to admit that what they had was probably more than just a high school crush. They were not ready to admit that even though they had only been together for a week and a half, they would be crushed if it ended. They weren't ready to admit how hard it would be to move on if one was left by the other. Neither girl was ready to admit that she would do anything, including die, if it meant saving the other from pain. Neither girl was ready to admit those three words, those three life-changing, exceptional words.

Santana threw a heart-stoppingly charming smile towards Rachel. Rachel maintained eye contact with Santana while cheering for the football team after Finn made a play. The smile on Santana's face grew wider. Rachel had cheered for the _team_, not for _Finn. _In between quarters, Sue allowed the Cheerios to take a fifteen-minute break. Santana pulled on her Cheerios letter jacket and sweatpants _(it was a really cold fall night)_ and immediately grabbed her phone. She sent a text and looked up at Rachel. Rachel checked her phone.

**New Message**

**Santana **

**Hey beautiful! :) Have a fifteen-minute break. Meet me where we were earlier?**

Rachel read the message and smiled. She looked at Santana while she typed out a reply to the girl's message. Santana felt her phone buzz.

**New Message**

**Rachel **

**Hey back! :) Definitely. You go first. Meet you there in two minutes.**

Santana grinned and started to make her way to the spot. She heard her name being called and turned around. "San! Wait up." Quinn said. Quinn jogged over to one of her two best friends. Santana opened her mouth to respond when Rachel walked by the pair. As she tried to make her way past, Rachel tripped over Quinn's outstretched foot. Santana had to catch Rachel to ensure that she did not fall and hurt herself. "Watch where you're going, Rachel. You could get hurt." Quinn said with fake kindness. Rachel looked at Santana. Santana looked down, before looking back at Quinn. Quinn watched the two. "Santana, why are you still holding her? Be careful, you don't want to get infected." Quinn said. Santana looked down and realized she was still holding Rachel from when she had caught her. She let go.

"Be more careful next time, Berry. And try not to fall into me next time you lose your balance." Santana said. She could not look Rachel directly in the eyes, but she made it seem like she was so Quinn did not get suspicious. Rachel nodded.

"I'm sorry, Santana. Thank you, however, for catching me." Rachel said.

"Whatever. Don't make me have to do it again because next time I might not be feeling so generous." Santana said. Rachel bit her lip and went on her way, literally pushing past Santana as she went by. Santana closed her eyes at the impact, hating what had just happened.

"Quinn, you didn't have to trip her." Santana said. Quinn laughed.

"Why are you sticking up for her, S? She is just Rachel Berry."

"She's also our best chance at Sectionals. What if she had fallen and broken her nose or something? I'm not an expert, but I think that can affect your singing abilities. The goal is to win, to go to Nationals, and more importantly, to beat Vocal Adrenaline. We need Berry to do that." Santana said.

"All right already, calm down. I was just trying to get a point across that just because her mom adopted my daughter we are _not _friends and even though she ended up with Finn, she still isn't cool." Quinn said.

"You don't have to physically hurt her to get a point across." Santana said.

"All right. Fine. Whatever. I'll lay off. Anyway, are you coming with us?" Quinn asked.

"Not this time, Q. I need some alone time. I'm going to go take a walk for a few minutes." Santana said. Quinn nodded.

"Cool, just make sure you're back in time." Santana nodded.

"I will, do not worry." She quickly turned around and went to the spot that had been at earlier. She hoped Rachel had still gone there. She sighed a breath of relief when she saw Rachel in the corner. She closed her eyes in shame when she saw Rachel wiping tears away.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Rachel looked up.

"Go away. I don't want to be around you right now." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel?" she asked.

"What?"

"If you don't want to be around me, then why did you come to the place I asked you to meet me at?" she asked. Rachel shrugged.

"Because you want to be around me?" Santana guessed.

"Ha. Don't flatter yourself, Santana." Rachel said. Santana could see the anger and hurt in Rachel's eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened. I should have seen Quinn's foot, but I didn't notice it until it was too late. At that point I was too busy trying to catch you." Santana said.

"I'm not mad because you didn't warn me about Quinn's foot." Rachel said.

"I know why you're mad." Santana said.

"Then why are you not apologizing for that?" Rachel asked.

"Why are you not letting me finish?" Santana countered. Rachel looked away.

"I'm sorry. Finish what you were saying."

"Thank you. Anyway, I'm sorry for not telling Quinn to shut up about you after she tripped you." Santana continued. Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but Santana covered it with her hand.

"I'm not done, Rachel. Most of all, I'm sorry for joining in with Quinn when she was making fun of you. And if it makes you feel better, I did get on to Quinn after you left." Santana said. Rachel removed Santana's hand from her mouth.

"You did?" she asked. Santana nodded.

"I told her that she should not have tripped you because you're our best chance at beating Vocal Adrenaline and she doesn't have to physically hurt you to get her point across."

"What was her point?" Rachel asked.

"That just because Shelby adopted Quinn's baby, Q doesn't consider you guys friends and just because you are with Finn doesn't mean you're cool." Santana said.

"What about the fact that I am with _you_?" Rachel said. She smiled at Santana, who returned the smile with enthusiasm.

"See now_ that_ makes you cool. And extremely lucky to be with such a hot person." Santana said.

"I do find Finn quiet attractive." Rachel said. She evilly grinned. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Watch it, little girl." Santana warned. Rachel laughed.

"I'm sorry, baby." She pulled Santana close to her and kissed her.

"Are you still mad at me?" Santana whispered. Rachel shook her head.

"No. It was all apart of the act."

"You know that if we were out, I would put a stop to all of that in a heartbeat, right?" Santana said.

"Yea I know. But I can put up with it. I have for two years. If it means you get to stay on Cheerios, then I'm okay with it." Rachel said.

"We don't know for sure that Sue would kick me off." Santana said.

"We don't know that she wouldn't." Rachel countered.

"I'm sorry." Santana said.

"Don't be. Just kiss me." Rachel said.

"Gladly." Santana smiled as she kissed her girlfriend again. The next afternoon, Santana called Rachel.

_"Hello?"_ she answered.

"Hi, I'm looking for the owner of this phone? She's really hot and an amazing singer. Is she there?" Santana asked. She smiled into the phone.

_"Hey San!"_ Rachel said.

"Hey. What's up baby girl?" Santana asked.

_"Nothing much. I was just about to start getting ready for tonight."_ Rachel said.

"I could come over and do your hair and make up for you if you want." Santana offered.

_"Really?"_ Rachel said.

"Sure. Want me to?"

_"Yea, sure."_ Rachel said.

"I'm on my way over." Santana said. She hung up the phone and got in her car. Rachel was waiting at the door when Santana got to her house. She smiled as the other girl got out of her car and she opened the door.

"Hey." she said. Santana smiled.

"Hi." She walked up the stairs of the porch and kissed Rachel. The two went inside and up to Rachel's room.

"So how did you want your hair to be?" Santana asked, falling on to the bed.

"What do you think would look good?" Rachel asked. Santana studied her for a moment.

"Something simple." she said after a minute. She pulled her straightener out of the WMHS athletic duffle bag she had brought with her. Rachel peeked inside and saw that Santana had brought not only a straightener, but a curling iron and a lot of make up as well. She raised a curious eyebrow at her girlfriend.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I thought I would cover the basics." Santana explained.

"I do own make up, Santana." Rachel said.

"I didn't know what you had, so I just brought mine."

"Ah." Rachel replied. She moved aside and allowed Santana to plug in the straightener so that it was able to heat up.

"So what are we going to do while we wait for the straightener?" Rachel asked.

"I have an idea." Santana said. After a week and a half of dating Santana, Rachel already knew what those words meant when they came out of her mouth. She was not shocked when the Cheerio sat back down on Rachel's bed and pulled Rachel into her lap and started kissing her.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rachel asked.

"Because I'm me." Santana replied. After awhile, she suddenly pulled away.

"Wha… why?" Rachel asked. Santana smirked.

"Because its either stop making out now and straighten your hair or make out and let the straightener catch on fire and burn your house down, possibly with us still in it." she said.

"Good point." Rachel said. She went and sat down in the chair in front of her vanity dresser. Santana walked up behind her and pulled her hair back. She softly kissed Rachel's neck before reaching for the straightener. Before she could grab the device, Rachel grabbed her hand. When Santana looked down, Rachel kissed her.

"Rach, I have to straighten your hair." Santana said.

"I know I just… I couldn't resist." Rachel said. Santana smiled and grabbed the hair device. She straightened Rachel's hair, and then grabbed a hair tie from the dresser.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"I'm putting your hair up into a side ponytail. Is that okay or do you want something else?" Santana asked.

"Its perfect, San." Rachel said. Santana tied the hair tie into Rachel's hair.

"Time for make up. What color is your dress?"

"Red." Santana nodded and started doing Rachel's make up. When she was finished, she stepped back to admire her work.

"How do I look?" Rachel asked.

"You look amazing, Rachel." Santana looked at the clock on Rachel's desk.

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"I have to go. Sam is picking me up in two hours. I'll see you at dinner?" she said. Rachel nodded.

"Bye San."

"Bye baby girl." Santana leaned in and kissed Rachel before packing up her stuff and leaving. She got her own hair and make up ready and put on her dress, which was blue, and her shoes. She was ready two minutes before Sam arrived at her house.

"You look great, Santana." Sam said. Santana gave him a once over.

"So do you, Sam." They went to the restaurant. Finn and Rachel were already there. Santana had to remind herself to breathe when she saw Rachel. The girl looked better than when Santana had left Rachel's house. They went to the table. Finn was talking to Puck and Rachel was standing by herself. Santana walked past. "Wow Berry, you actually managed to look like a normal person." she said.

"Thank you, Santana." Rachel said.

"You look hot, babe." Santana whispered as she walked by. Rachel instantly smiled. The Glee Club sat down at the table, with Santana sitting directly across from Rachel. When the check came, she opened her purse and pulled out her credit card.

"Santana, no. Its on me." Sam said. He put the card back in her wallet.

"Sam, I can't let you do that." she protested.

"Santana, you're my date. I want to. Its fine, I got it." he insisted. Santana stared at him for a moment before giving in.

"Okay…" she said. She put her wallet back in her purse and saw the box she had put in there. She smiled and looked up at Rachel. She knew Rachel was going to love the present Santana had bought her. She just had to find a way to get her alone long enough to give it to her. They all finished eating and went to the school. When they all got to the dance, Santana gave Finn a reasonable amount of time with Rachel. Okay so she gave him all of fifteen minutes before she told him some lie to get him away from her. She waited until Finn was gone then leaned into Rachel.

"You know, Rachel, they say red is the sexiest color. And I am _definitely_ agreeing with that statement right now." Santana said. She eyed Rachel's red dress. Rachel shivered at Santana's breath on her neck.

"San, not out here." she said. She was unsuccessfully trying to fight the smile that was threatening to emerge on her face.

"I'm sorry. But I need to talk to you though, Rach. I want some alone time." Santana grinned. Rachel looked around and nodded. Santana smiled and walked with Rachel to the hallway. The pair went to a deserted corner. When they were sure they were alone, Santana spoke. "I wish we could just leave right now."

"San, the dance just started. I think that would be just a little bit suspicious." Rachel said.

"Crap. This sucks that we can't even spend homecoming together." Santana said.

"I know, Sweetie." Rachel pulled Santana into a hug, which the taller girl willingly fell into.

"Baby what's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"I want to spend time with you outside of our houses. I hate that we can't." Santana said.

"How about you and I take a trip to one of the towns close to Lima? We can get away, have an actual date, at an actual restaurant." Rachel said. Santana looked hopeful.

"Can we find a Breadstix?"

"If that's what you want, then yes. We can find a Breadstix. But please, don't bring a wheelbarrow." Rachel said. This resulted in causing Santana to laugh as both remembered their first date. They were going to pretend, if someone had caught them, that Santana's parents had forced her to take Rachel to dinner as an apology for the way she had treated Rachel. Santana brought a wheelbarrow to fill up and ended up getting the manager fired. Rachel still felt terrible. Santana kissed Rachel. Smiling into the kiss, Rachel hated to pull away. When she did, Santana opened her purse and pulled out the box.

"What's that?" Rachel asked. Santana handed it to her.

"Open it." Rachel opened the box and gasped. In the box was a necklace with a gold star pendant.

"San."

"Do you like it?" Santana asked. She was carefully watching Rachel's every reaction.

"I love it. Its gorgeous. Thank you." Rachel smiled.

"You're welcome, baby girl. Turn it over." Santana smiled. Rachel was confused.

"Okay…" She turned it over.

"Its engraved." Not wanting to ruin the moment, Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Read it, Rach."

"Oh. Right. Ok. _'Rachel, Always remember that you are my star. –S.'_ Oh my god. Santana, that's so sweet."

"Thank you. I was really hesitant about putting the _S_. I had initially wanted to put my whole name on there, but it was too risky." Santana said.

"Do you really mean it?" Rachel asked.

"Do I really mean what?" Santana asked.

"That I am your star." Rachel clarified.

"Oh that. Well, yeah Rachel. Of course I do. You _are_ my star. And whenever you wear that, which I hope you'll frequently do, I want you to… well I hope that you will… that you'll think of me." Rachel had never seen Santana so nervous before.

"Of course I will. I wish that I could put it on right now, but…"

"I totally understand. I just wanted to give it to you." Santana nodded.

"I'm sorry." Rachel said.

"Don't be. It's fine, Rach." Santana smiled. Rachel looked around before she kissed Santana. This time, it was Santana who pulled away.

"You look beautiful, by the way." Santana said.

"So do you, San." Rachel replied She smiled. Santana returned the smile.

'_Oh my god. I am in love with Rachel Berry._' Santana thought.

'_Oh my god. I am in love with Santana Lopez.'_ Rachel thought. They went back into the gym. Two and a half hours and twelve disappearances later, Santana and Rachel decided to leave the dance and go spend some time together. Rachel walked up to Finn. "Hey Finn, I'm not feeling very well, so I think I'm going to head home." Finn stood up.

"Okay, do you want me to take you?"

"No, no. I don't want to ruin your night." Rachel rushed.

"Rachel, you're my date and my girlfriend. its fine." Finn said.

"You live in the opposite direction of my house." Rachel continued.

"I'm not going to let you walk home or hitch a ride with some random drunk person." Finn said.

"Well, actually… Santana offered to give me a ride." Rachel said.

"Santana? Santana Lopez?" Finn asked.

"Yes. We ran into each other in the restroom just now and she said she was about to leave. She lives about three blocks from me and she said that she could give me a ride if I wanted one." Rachel explained. Finn looked up as Santana approached.

"Are you ready to go, Berry?" Santana asked.

"This isn't some kind of prank, is it Santana? Because its not funny." Finn said.

"No, Finnocence. Its not a prank. I'm leaving and if Rachel doesn't feel good then there's no point of her staying here. She lives near me. I'm not going to do anything to your precious girlfriend. Don't worry." Santana said.

"Fine. But no funny business, Santana. Just take her home so she can rest, okay?" Fin said.

"That was kind of the plan, Frankenteen." Santana and Rachel left the gym. They made it down the hallway before Finn came running out and calling Rachel's name. She turned around. Santana continued walking to act as if she had no interest in whatever they were saying.

"Hey Rach. I just wanted to say that I really do love you." Finn said. Rachel smiled.

"I know that you do, Finn. I love you too." she said.

"I know that you would never do anything to hurt me or cheat on me or something like that. That's why I know that we're meant to be together." he continued. Rachel's stomach dropped with guilt.

"I love you Finn." she repeated. He smiled and kissed her.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" he said. Rachel nodded and went to find Santana who was waiting at the door for her.

"What did Finn want?" she asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. She had brought her car by earlier just in case Rachel had wanted to leave early. Rachel shook her head. Santana looked over and saw tears in her eyes. "Rachel?" she softly said.

"I can't do this." she whispered.

"Do…do what?" Santana said.

"I can't keep hurting him like this. He's going to be crushed when he finds out about us, Santana." Rachel said.

"Ray…" Santana trailed off. She pulled over to the side of the road and parked her car.

"He told me that he knew he and I are meant to be together because he knows I would never hurt him or cheat on him. Santana, that's exactly what I'm doing!" she said.

"What are you trying to say, Rachel?" Santana asked.

"Please don't make me say it, Santana." Rachel said.

"Rachel, if you're going to break up with me, then say it already. Please don't torture me by beating around the bush." Santana said.

"San, its not like I _want_ to break up, but…" Rachel trailed off.

"But what?" Santana asked.

"It just has to be done." Rachel said.

"Actually, it doesn't have to be done. You could always break it off with Finn." Santana argued.

"San, please." Rachel said.

"Don't call me that." Santana said. Rachel started to get out of the car. "Where are you going?" Santana asked.

"I'll walk home." Rachel said.

"There is no way I'm letting that happen. Get in the car, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel gave in and sat back down. Santana drove her to her house. When they got to the house, Santana stopped the car and looked at Rachel. Rachel hated to see the hurt in the other girl's eyes. Just as Rachel was about to get out of the car, Santana kissed her. Rachel hesitated for a moment before kissing back. Just as Rachel attempted to deepen the kiss, Santana pulled away. Rachel bit her lip and thought about what she was about to lose. She was not sure if it was really worth it.

"Thank… thank you for the ride, Santana." Rachel said. She got out of the car.

"Bye, Berry." Santana said. She drove away. Rachel went inside her house and immediately knew she had made a mistake. She pulled out her phone and called Santana. Santana was stopped at a red light when her phone rang.

**Incoming Call**

**Rachel**

Santana sighed and answered. "Hello?" she answered.

_"Santana? I think I left something in your car. Can you come back?"_ Rachel asked. Santana looked around the car.

"Rach, I don't see anything. But yea, I'll come back so you can look for yourself." she said. She pulled into the nearest parking lot to turn around and drove back to the house. Rachel was waiting on her front porch when she arrived. She walked up to the car and opened the door and pretended to start looking for something. Santana stayed in her car. "What did you forget?" she asked. Rachel looked up. She sat down in the car.

"You." she said. Needless to say, Santana was taken aback when Rachel began kissing her. She pulled away.

"Wha… what?" she asked.

"I don't want to break up." Rachel said.

"But you're going to feel guilty every time Finn tells you he loves you." Santana said.

"For awhile, maybe. But I can't live without knowing what is going to happen between us. Maybe it'll lead to something. Maybe it won't. But I just… I have to know." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel again.

"You look tired, baby girl. How about you go inside and go to sleep, okay?" Santana suggested. Rachel nodded and kissed Santana again.

"Night, San." she said before getting out of the car again.

"Night, Ray." Santana replied. She smiled and Rachel closed the door. As Santana drove away, she whispered to herself. "I love you, Rachel Berry." As she watched Santana drive away, Rachel whispered to herself.

"I love you, Santana Lopez." Two weeks later, they were still together. Santana had helped Rachel find away to help Kurt through his father's heart attack. When Santana walked into Glee Club one day, she saw Rachel and Finn already in the choir room. They were laughing together. Santana rolled her eyes.

"Get a room." she said.

"Santana, please mind you own business." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"You two making out in front of everyone kind of is our business, Berry. If you want it to stay private, don't do that here." Santana said. She walked over and sat next to Brittany. Mr. Schue walked in.

"Hey guys. I just talked to Principal Figgins and… Puckerman's in juvie. But we're going to keep going and gear up for Sectionals. We're going to start with a duets competition." he said.

"What does the winner get?" Mike asked.

"Dinner for two, on me, at Breadstix." he said. Santana smiled. She had to win. And she knew just who she wanted as a partner. As soon as Glee was over, Santana tracked down Mercedes.

"Why would I want to do a duet with you? We can't stand each other." Mercedes said.

"Look Wheezy, I realize I've tried to punch a couple of times and sometimes when you aren't looking I put weird things in your food. But it's a new year. And you and I are the best singers at this school." Santana said.

"I don't get what the big deal is. Its just a free trip to Breadstix." Mercedes said.

"I'm sorry, have you been to Breadstix? They are legally forbidden to stop bringing you breadsticks. One time I brought a wheelbarrow and when the manager tried to stop me from filling it up I called the corporate office and got her fired." Santana said.

"I guess our voices do sort of go together." Mercedes said.

"Mmhmm. That's right girl. We do a duet together and we will be the undisputed, top bitches at this school." Santana said, walking away. She smiled. She knew it would be tough to beat Rachel and Finn, but Santana didn't play when it came to Breadstix. She went to class where she saw Rachel sitting in the front row like the good student she was. Santana was watching Rachel in Chemistry class. She found herself getting extremely turned on as Rachel raised her hand every time the teacher asked a question. Suddenly, the bell rang signaling the start of free period. She saw Rachel bolt from the room. Knowing where her girlfriend was off to, Santana slowly headed towards the choir room, hoping Rachel would be alone. As she neared the room, she heard the final notes of _'Don't Go Breaking My Heart.'_ She smiled as she heard Rachel's voice, but quickly scowled when she heard Finn's. She stood outside the door, watching them. She saw them have a conversation and she saw Finn kiss Rachel. As Finn walked out of the room, Santana hid. Once he was gone, she entered and closed the door. "Nice song, Berry." she said. She kept up the act in case someone was to walk in. Rachel, keeping up her role as well, did not turn to face Santana.

"Thank you, Santana." Santana slowly walked towards Rachel. When she reached the piano, she stood so that their feet were alternating. Rachel was very happy for the fact that doors had no windows.

"I just had one problem with it. I felt like Finnocence was standing just a bit to close to you."

"You mean, kind of like you are now?" Rachel countered.

"Yea, but see, there's a difference." Santana said. She softly kissed Rachel's neck. "You actually like it when its me." She whispered. She expertly hid the way she was playing with Rachel's fingers with one hand while subtly pulling Rachel closer to her with the other. Rachel turned her head up to respond and Santana took that opportunity to kiss Rachel. The two stood like that for a few moments before Rachel slightly pulled away.

"Santana, someone could walk in.," she said.

"Don't care. Need you." Santana managed to get out, kissing Rachel again. She lifted the smaller girl up onto the piano. Santana moved to stand between Rachel's legs, never breaking the kiss. Rachel instinctively wrapped her legs around Santana's waist. Rachel pulled away to look at Santana.

"I missed you today. I mean, I know I saw you in every class, but we couldn't really talk. I was only able to look." She started to say more but was interrupted with Santana kissing her.

"Rach, I have heard you talk all day. Its time for silence." Santana said. Rachel simply nodded and kissed Santana again. Suddenly, they heard the unmistakable sound of Kurt and Mercedes laughing. Santana quickly jumped back a good five feet, but not without causing her forehead to hit Rachel's mouth. Santana silently swore and Rachel held back a scream in pain. Santana didn't have time to apologize before having to get back into character. Not less than thirty seconds after she put her HBIC face back on did Kurt and Mercedes enter the room.

"Whoa. Okay, hold up. Santana and Rachel in a room, together, alone, and Rachel is still alive. Did we enter the Twilight Zone or something?" Mercedes asked.

"Wait a second. Rachel, are you crying? What did she do to you?" he asked.

"I didn't anything to her Hummel. Man-hands was practicing one of her many solos that she dreams Schue is going to give her and I guess I startled her when I came in because she tripped and hit her mouth on the cymbal of the drum set. Why would I hurt our best chance at Sectionals?" Santana asked. She found herself backing up even further.

"What are you guys doing in here anyway?" Rachel attempted to ask while holding her mouth.

"I forgot my bag." Mercedes answered.

"Wheezy, I need to talk to you later about our duet." Santana said.

"Can we talk about it tonight on the phone, Satan? I have a lot to do right now." Mercedes said.

"Whatever." Santana said, rolling her eyes. _'That girl had better be prepared to work, because I am winning me some Breadstix.'_ Santana thought. Mercedes grabbed her bag and the two left.

"You guys want the door closed? No one really wants to witness if Santana kills Rachel, so…" Kurt trailed off.

"Just close the door, Kurt." Rachel said. The door soon closed.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Santana asked after making sure they were alone.

"I think I'll be fine. How's your head?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I'm not bleeding, so that's a good sign. I am so sorry. I heard the two of them and I panicked." Santana replied.

"San, I'm fine. But we've never come that close to getting caught before." Rachel said.

"No, we have not." Santana agreed.

"We should probably be more careful."

"Yea…no, definitely. I totally agree, Rach." Santana said.

"Why do you have that look in your eye?" Rachel asked.

"What look?" Santana innocently asked. She slowly walked closer to Rachel who was still on the piano.

"The look in your eye. The one that says you're about to kiss me." Rachel said as Santana approached.

"Maybe because I am." Santana whispered. She pulled Rachel into a kiss.

"Santana…"

"Yes?" Santana said. She found herself smirking at the fact that Rachel could not form a coherent sentence.

"San…tana. We…have to…stop." Rachel said.

"Do you want to?"

"Of course…not. But we…have to." Rachel said. Santana pulled away, causing Rachel to groan even though she had just said they had to stop. She leaned up and whispered in Rachel's ear.

"I would never want to force you to do something you didn't want to do, Rachel." She smiled as she felt Rachel shiver.

"Do you think we would be missed at Glee?" she quickly asked. This caused Santana to laugh.

"You wouldn't, but I might be." She teased.

"Just get your stuff." Rachel said. They made really lame excuses and went back to Santana's house. The moment they were in Santana's room, Rachel tackled Santana on the bed and kissed her. Things were beginning to get heated when suddenly Santana pulled back. "What's wrong baby?" Rachel asked. She got a little afraid as Santana just stared at her. A smile began to grow on the Latina's face. "Santana. You're beginning to scare me." Santana's smile faltered a bit.

"Sorry baby. I didn't mean to scare you."

"Then what's wrong?" Rachel asked. Santana looked in Rachel's eyes.

"I just… I love you Rachel." she said. She was smiling. Rachel's eyes widened.

"You… you what?"

"I love you Rachel. So much." Santana was getting a little scared. What if Rachel didn't love her back? What if she had just made a complete fool out of herself? Santana was going through many scenarios in her head, all which ended with her single, alone, and depressed, when her thoughts were interrupted by the girl in front of her.

"I love you too, Santana. I have wanted to say it for awhile, but I didn't know if you felt the same way." Rachel smiled.

"How could you ever doubt that?" Santana asked.

"Do the words _'slushie'_, _'dwarf'_, and _'God Berry. Quit being such a buzz kill and let people do what they want for a change.'_ ring a bell to you?" Rachel teased. She unintentionally caused Santana's face to drop. "Baby, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…" Rachel trailed off as Santana lifted a hand.

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. All that stuff I said and did to you, it was mean and wrong and unnecessary."

"Its okay Santana."

"No it isn't Rach."

"San, its fine. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I know you have changed. The girl who did all that stuff? She's gone and she has been replaced by someone who I have fallen in love with. I don't even remember that Santana, because I have this one." Rachel smiled and kissed Santana again.

"I love you baby girl." Santana said.

"I love you too." Rachel smiled as Santana began to kiss her again. After awhile, Rachel pulled away. "What is it? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Santana asked.

"San… I'm ready." Rachel said. Santana's eyes widened.

"Rach… are you sure?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"I want you to be my first." she said.

"I promise I'll be careful, baby girl. I love you." Santana said.

"I love you too." Rachel said. The next day, Mercedes and Santana were performing.

_"Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby." _Santana was watching Rachel the entire time she sang the song.

_"I love you baby like a flower loves the spring." _Mercedes sang.

_"And I love you baby like a robin loves to sing." _Santana sang. She raised her eyebrow and smirked in Rachel's direction. Rachel bit her lip to hide her smile. Santana winked.

_"And I love you baby like a schoolboy loves his pet." _Mercedes sang.

_"And I love you baby river deep mountain high. Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby." _they sang together. After Glee that day, Rachel found Santana.

"Just so you know, Santana, I thoroughly enjoyed your duet with Mercedes." Rachel said.

"Did you now?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. Santana leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I was singing to you, baby girl." She started to smile, but saw someone turn into the hallway.

"Berry, will you please stop offering to give me singing lessons? I don't want your help, okay?" she yelled, hating the loss of contact.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help, Santana. I guess I'll just leave." Rachel said.

"Bye." Santana said, glaring at the passerby who hurried to get out of the hallway.

"My house later? See you there?" Rachel whispered. Santana nodded.

"Definitely. Love you." she whispered. Rachel smiled.

"I love you too." she replied. Santana found herself smiling as she walked down the hall. Suddenly, she got an idea. She quickly pulled out her phone and texted Rachel. Rachel was walking to the choir room when she felt her phone buzz.

**New Message**

**Santana **

**How much do you love me?**

Rachel smiled as she replied. Santana only had to wait a few minutes before her phone buzzed signaling that she had a new message.

**New Message:**

**Rachel **

**A lot… why? What do you want?**

Santana smiled. Rachel smiled when her phone buzzed again.

**New Message:**

**Santana **

**Wow… a month together and you already love AND know me.**

Santana smiled when her phone vibrated.

**New Message**

**Rachel **

**Yea, I do… what do you want, Santana?**

Rachel tentatively checked her phone when it vibrated.

**New Message:**

**Santana**

**I was wondering if you would go dirt bike riding with me.**

Rachel stared at her phone in disbelief. She quickly called Santana.

_"Hello?"_ she answered.

"You _are_ aware of who you are talking to, right?" Rachel asked.

_"I think so… is this a trick question?"_ Santana asked.

"You want to take _me_ dirt bike riding?" Rachel said.

_"Yea. Come on, it'll be fun."_ Santana said. Rachel was silent for a moment. _"Hello?"_ Santana said.

"I'm here."

_"So… will you go?" _Rachel sighed.

"Fine. When?" she asked.

_"This afternoon?"_ Santana asked.

"I guess." Rachel agreed. When they got there, Santana quickly got them set up with bikes and safety equipment. She showed Rachel how to ride a dirt bike and Rachel was surprisingly good. She quickly got cocky and as they were riding, Rachel took a jump to quickly and went flying off of her bike, with Santana watching.

"Rach!" she screamed. She quickly stopped her bike, threw off her helmet, and went sprinting into the direction her girlfriend had flown. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Rachel lying face first in a pile of hay. "Ray." she whispered. Rachel slowly picked herself up and took off her helmet. Santana sprinted over to the girl. "Rach, are you okay?" Santana asked. She approached the girl. Rachel nodded.

"I'm fine, Santana." Santana pulled the girl into a hug.

"You scared me."

"How do you think I felt?" Rachel joked.

"Like you were flying?" Santana teased. Rachel laughed.

"Not exactly."

"What happened, baby?" Santana asked.

"I got too eager on that last jump and lost control of the bike." Rachel explained. Santana pulled the girl closer to her and kissed her.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Yea, I'm okay. I'm sorry for worrying you." she said.

"Rachel, shut up." Santana said. She smiled down at Rachel. "Let's get you home, okay?" she suggested. Rachel nodded. When they got to Rachel's house, there were two cars in the driveway. "Are those your dads cars?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Want to meet them?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" Santana replied. The two walked into Rachel's house.

"Dad? Daddy?" she called out.

"We're in the living room." Rachel led the way.

"Hey sweetie… why are you so muddy?" one of her fathers asked. Rachel looked down.

"Oh. I went dirt bike riding." she explained.

"Someone managed to tear you away from your beloved choir room? We have got to meet this person.' her other father said. Rachel looked at Santana.

"Dad, Daddy, this is Santana Lopez. Santana, this is my dad, Leroy, and my daddy, Hiram." Rachel said.

"Hello, Santana. You can call me Mr. B, if it makes it easier." Leroy said. Santana smiled and nodded.

"Are you the one who got her to go dirt bike riding?" Hiram asked.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, I probably should have asked you guys if it was okay first." Santana said.

"Its fine, Santana. We've been trying to get Rachel to try other things for years. We're glad that she has a friend to help her do that." Leroy said.

"Dad, Daddy, Santana isn't my friend. She's my girlfriend." Rachel explained.

"What about Finn?" Hiram asked. Rachel and Santana exchanged a look.

"Santana and I decided that it would be better if we kept our relationship a secret. See, she's one of the most popular girls in school and she's on the cheerleading squad. I don't want her to lose her spot because of me and Santana doesn't want any of the meaner jocks to bully me." Rachel said.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, are you still dating Finn?" Leroy asked.

"Yes sir." she quietly said.

"Rachel, you know that we don't have a problem with you dating another girl. What we have a problem with is you leading that boy on. I'm assuming he doesn't know about this?" Hiram guessed.

"No sir."

"Sir, I've told Rachel that I'd willingly give up my spot on the Cheerios for her." Santana said. Leroy and Hiram looked at Santana. Both men could instantly tell that the girl's feelings and intentions were true.

"Rachel, you know that we can't condone this, right?" Leroy asked.

"Yes sir. But I love Santana. I don't want to lose her." Rachel said.

"Do you feel the same way?" Hiram asked Santana.

"Yes sir. I love your daughter." she said.

"Then you are welcome in our house anytime, Santana." Leroy said. A few days later, it was Thanksgiving break. Santana and Rachel had decided to go to a party Puck was throwing the day they got let out for break. Rachel didn't have to worry about Finn, because he had gone on a trip with his mom, Kurt's dad, and Kurt. She and Santana arrived and Santana immediately grabbed a beer. Rachel opted not to drink, so she could drive them home. After awhile, the scenery got a bit too much for Rachel. When Santana left to go talk to Puck, Rachel decided to get some fresh air. Rachel was sitting on Puck's back porch when Santana came out of the house fifteen minutes later.

"Rachel! I am so happy to see you, baby." Santana drunkenly slurred. Rachel looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Hi, sweetie. How much have you had to drink?"

"Not that much." Santana was practically in Rachel's lap.

"Santana I left you fifteen minutes ago and you weren't nearly this drunk. In fact you had only had half a beer. What did you do after I came out here?" Rachel asked. She was running one of her hands through Santana's hair while using her other one to make sure the other girl did not fall off the stairs.

"Well, Puck challenged me to a game of beer pong. You know that I can't and won't back down from a challenge." Santana slurred.

"Do I even need to ask who won?" Rachel asked her girlfriend.

"No, but it would make me feel better if you did." Santana smiled up at Rachel.

"Let me guess. You won?" Rachel asked.

"Uh, yeah. Duh. God, you look so hot right now." Santana said. She started running one of her hands up and down Rachel's arm. She kissed Rachel, pushing her up against the post for the handrail on the stairs of Puck's porch. The taller girl continued to deepen the kiss and while Rachel wasn't fighting it, she knew how many people were at the party.

"Santana." Rachel said.

"What?" Santana said. She didn't let go of Rachel.

"San, come on." Rachel attempted to push Santana off of her.

"But, I love you Rachel." Santana said. She quickly sat up. "Too fast. Way too fast." Before Rachel could reply, they were interrupted.

"How drunk are you Lopez?" one of the other jocks asked.

"Uh… I'm not sure. Pretty drunk, I guess. Why do you ask?" Santana asked.

"You just told the captain of the Geek Club that you love her." Santana looked at Rachel, who quickly covered.

"She's completely wasted. She has no idea what she's saying or what she's doing right now."

"Clearly." The jock said. He walked away.

"Why did you do that?" Santana asked.

"Because letting you tell the truth in would have defeated the purpose of keeping us a secret Santana." Rachel explained.

"That is…. really smart. Like, extremely smart. Did you know that you were smart, Rachel?" Santana asked.

"I had a hunch. I think I'd appreciate that comment more if you were sober. Do you want to go ahead and get going?" Rachel asked. Santana started to nod her head, but quickly stopped.

"But what if Puck wants to play another game of beer pong?" Santana asked, suddenly looking worried.

"Then he'll most likely be looking to actually win at the game, which he won't be able to do if he is playing against you." Rachel reasoned. Santana slowly nodded.

"Maybe you're right." She fell down into Rachel's lap.

"Yea, let's get you home." Rachel said.

"Can I spend the night at your house? Please, please, please, please, pretty please, Rachel?" Santana asked.

"I think you should. My dads are out of town and your parents aren't going to like the fact that you are drunk." Rachel replied. Santana nodded. The two walked to Rachel's car, with Rachel having to assist Santana sometimes. They were almost to the car when the same jock stopped them.

"Lopez, are you so drunk you are going home with Berry?" he asked. Rachel sighed.

"This is not going to be good. Not at all." Santana turned around and yelled back.

"Shut up, Rich! I'm in love with her!" The jocks just laughed.

"Wow, Berry. How much did you pay her to say that?"

"Shut up!" Santana yelled.

"Santana, ignore them. Please get in the car, okay?" Rachel said.

"But they have to know I love you." Santana protested.

"I know that you do. That's all that matters."

"Rachel…"

"Now, Santana."

"Rich, you better shut up before I beat the crap out of you, got it?" Santana threatened.

"Whatever, Lopez. Have fun with Berry."

"I plan on it!"

"Santana! Get in the car already." Rachel hissed.

"Okay." Rachel drove to her house. It took all of her strength to pull Santana out of the car. Santana leaned all of her weight on Rachel. "Oh, sweetie, you're going to have to help me out a little bit here." Rachel said. Santana got out of Rachel's grip.

"I can walk by myself. You wanna see?" she asked.

"Not really." Rachel said. Santana started crying. "San, what's wrong?" Rachel asked.

"You hate me, don't you?" she sobbed.

"What? No. I don' hate you. I love you." Rachel said.

"No you don'. There's someone else isn't there? Someone besides Finn. Who is it? Is it Quinn?"

"What? No." Rachel said.

"It _is _Quinn! Don't deny it Rachel!" Santana said.

"Santana, let's get you into the house." Rachel said.

"Why so you can break up with me? No way. I'm out of here." Santana said. She grabbed Rachel's keys out of her hand and stumbled to the driver's side door. Before Rachel could even process what was happening, Santana was in Rachel's car and attempting to put the keys in the ignition. Rachel sprinted to the car.

"Santana Lopez, get out of my car and give me my keys." Rachel said.

"Why won't you let me drive your car? I bet you let Quinn drive your car. Do you think she's prettier than me? Is that it? Everyone _always_ thinks Quinn is prettier than me!" Santana yelled.

"I don't think Quinn is prettier than you and I _don't_ let her drive my car. I won't let you drive my car because you're drunk and you can barely walk without tripping over something, usually your feet." Rachel said. Santana looked up at her and started crying again. "Santana, calm down, sweetie. Its okay. Let's go inside." Rachel whispered. Santana nodded and Rachel took that opportunity to take her keys back. Rachel helped the taller girl make her way into the house and gently put her on the couch. She went to the kitchen and got some water and aspirin and made some coffee. When she returned from the kitchen, Santana wasn't on the couch. "San?" she called out. Santana came out of the hall bathroom. She had cleaned up her face and wiped off the smeared mascara. She had also put her hair up into a loose ponytail. Rachel took that to mean she was sobering up. She smiled at Rachel. "How are you feeling?" Rachel asked.

"Better. I'm sorry for freaking out on you." Santana said.

"Its okay." Rachel said. Santana took the coffee that was offered to her. "Are you starting to sober up?" Rachel asked. She sat down next to her on the couch. Santana nodded and looked at her girlfriend.

"I can't believe that happened." Santana said.

"What all do you remember?" Rachel asked.

"Just what happened when we got back here." Santana said. Rachel silently nodded. "Why? Did anything else happen? Did I do something stupid?" Santana asked.

"No. Nothing." Rachel said. '_Except drunkenly out us at the party._' Rachel thought. She just hoped that the jock was to drunk to remember what happened. She looked at the clock. It was midnight. "Hey San?"

"Yea?"

"Happy birthday." Rachel said. Santana looked up at Rachel.

"Rach, it isn't my birthday until tomorrow." Santana said.

"Look at the clock." Rachel said. Santana did as she was told.

"It is midnight… meaning…" Santana said.

"Meaning that you're now seventeen. Happy birthday baby." she said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel. Rachel quickly pulled away and ran upstairs. She came back down with a present in hand. "Ray you didn't have to get me anything." Santana said.

"Okay, I can take it back." Rachel said.

"No! I mean, no its okay." Santana said. Rachel laughed and handed her the box. Santana opened it and pulled out a video camera. "Oh wow. Thanks, Rachel. I love it." she said. Santana and Rachel went up to Rachel's room. Santana began playing around with the camera. "Rachel. Hey, Rachel." Santana said.

"You're starting to bother me." Rachel said.

"But baby! Come on. Look over here."

"At least I know you like your present." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Hey, Rachel?" Rachel sighed.

"Yes, Santana?"

"I gotta tell you something."

"What?"

"I can't tell you unless you're over here." Santana said. Rachel sighed and walked over to Santana, who was lying on Rachel's bed.

"Yes?"

"No, you gotta get on the bed." Santana insisted. Rachel laid on top of Santana.

"What do you want to tell me?" Santana pointed the camera towards the two of them.

"I… am completely in love… with you." she said. Rachel smiled.

"As am I." she said.

"You're in love with yourself?" Santana said.

"You knew what I meant." Rachel said.

"But you gotta specify, otherwise the camera will get confused." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I… am completely in love… with you.." she said. Santana smiled and slowly kissed Rachel. Suddenly Rachel pulled away.

"Turn that off." she said. She gestured to the camera. Santana did as she was told and kissed her girlfriend again.

"Hey Rachel?" Santana said. They were lying in Rachel's bed.

"Yes?" Rachel replied.

"I love you and all, but I have to ask you… _what_ was up with your duet with Finn last week? It was _terrible_ and _really_ offensive." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"I was trying to throw the competition."

"Wait a second. You _wanted_ to lose?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Hold up. Does that mean the two votes that Sam and Quinn won by were you and Finn's votes?" Santana asked.

"Well, yes." Rachel said.

"You couldn't have used your vote on _me_?" Santana said.

"Trust me, I almost did. I held my pen over the index card for what seemed like forever. I almost wrote _'Mercedes and Santana,_' but I had to let Sam and Quinn win." Rachel said.

"But why them?" Santana whined.

"Because we wanted Sam to stay in Glee." Rachel explained.

"So you sacrificed my ability to eat at Breadstix for free, just to keep the Bieber wannabe?" Santana said.

"Will you feel better if I take you to Breadstix?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Okay, we'll go tonight. Now stop being such a baby." Rachel said.

"I am _not_ being a baby. You're a baby." Santana pouted.

"I'm _your_ baby, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you are." Santana grinned. The two stayed in a comfortable silence for a while. "Do you resent me for making us keep quiet?" Santana suddenly asked.

"Resent you? No. While it wouldn't have been my first choice, I'm getting used to it." Rachel said.

"Well, can I sing to you? Like in Glee Club? I really want to, if that's okay with you. I won't say who I am singing to. Only you and I have to know that it's you. But its cool if you don't want me to. You know what, actually, forget I asked its cool." Santana rambled. Rachel cut her off with a kiss.

"Okay, first of all, you're really cute when you ramble. Second of all, I would love for you to sing to me, even if only we know you're singing to me." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Then I'll do it."

"What song are you going to sing?" Rachel asked.

"_Que es un secreto mi estrella de amor_." Santana said. Rachel raised a confused eyebrow. "I said, that's a secret my loving star." Santana translated. Rachel smiled. The next day, when Glee Club started, Santana raised her hand. "Mr. Schuester? I have a song I would like to sing." Santana said.

"Uh… yea. Sure, Santana go ahead." the Spanish teacher said.

"Okay, so this song just really conveys how I feel. And don't bother asking me for elaboration, because I don't owe any of you explanations." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes. Santana saw this and wanted to smirk, but frowned. She took this as an opportunity to throw off suspicion from her and Rachel, because she knew she would look at her at least once in the song. "Is there something you would like to say Man-Hands?" Santana sneered.

"Just that I can't wait to hear your song, Santana." Rachel said with as much sarcasm as she could fake. Santana raised an eyebrow. "I mean, maybe we can rearrange it for me to be able to sing in competition." Rachel continued.

"Santana, why don't you just sing your song already." Mr. Schue suggested.

"Okay." Santana said. She motioned for Brad and the band to begin playing. Rachel smiled when she recognized the song.

_Maybe I need some rehab_  
><em>Or maybe just need some sleep<em>  
><em>I got a sick obsession<em>  
><em>I'm seeing it in my dreams<em>

_I'm looking down every alley_  
><em>I'm makin' those desperate calls<em>  
><em>I'm staying up all night hoping<em>  
><em>Hittin' my head against the wall<em>

_What you got, boy, is hard to find_  
><em>I think about it all the time<em>  
><em>I'm all strung out, my heart is fried<em>  
><em>I just can't get you off my mind<em>

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug_  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>  
><em>I said your love, your love, your love is my drug<em>  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>

_Won't listen to any advice_  
><em>Momma's telling me I should think twice<em>  
><em>Better left to my own devices<em>  
><em>I'm addicted, it's a crisis<em>

_My friends think I've gone crazy_  
><em>My judgment's getting kinda hazy<em>  
><em>My steeze is gonna be affected<em>  
><em>If I keep it up like a lovesick crackhead<em>

_What you got, boy, is hard to find_  
><em>I think about it all the time<em>  
><em>I'm all strung out, my heart is fried<em>

_I just can't get you off my mind_

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug_  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>  
><em>I said your love, your love, your love is my drug<em>  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>

Santana tried not to look at Rachel during this part, but her eyes kept drifting to her girlfriend. She really hoped no one noticed.

_I don't care what people say_  
><em>The rush is worth the price I pay<em>  
><em>I get so high when you're with me<em>  
><em>But crash and crave you when you leave<em>

_Hey, so I gotta question_  
><em>Do you wanna have a slumber party in my basement?<em>  
><em>Do I make your heart beat like an 808 drum?<em>  
><em>Is my love with your drug? Your drug, your drug<em>  
><em>Your drug, is my love your drug?<em>

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug_  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>  
><em>I said your love, your love, your love is my drug<em>  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug_  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>  
><em>I said your love, your love, your love is my drug<em>  
><em>Your love, your love, your love<em>

_Hey, hey, so_  
><em>Your love, your love, your love, your love is my drug<em>  
><em>I like your beard<em>

She pointed at Brad at the last line and everyone applauded and cheered. Santana glanced at Rachel and saw her smiling. "Wow! That was awesome Santana. Great job." Mr. Schue said. When Santana returned to her seat, she checked her phone.

**New Message:**

**Rachel **

**I love you.**

Santana hid her smile and replied.

**I love you too. I'm assuming that means you loved the song? –S**

**Yea I did. Thank you so much. –R**

**You're so welcome baby. –S**

**Well, now I have to sing to you too. –R**

**Are you going to say that it is for Finn? –S**

**No. He may think its for him, but it won't be. –R**

**Awesome. Can't wait. :) –S**

Santana walked up to Rachel in the hallway the next morning. "Berry. We need to talk," she said.

"What do you want, Santana?" Rachel asked in an annoyed tone. She was attempting to hold back a smile.

"Follow me." Santana said. She pushed past the smaller girl, pretending that she was going to be leading her to her doom. She noticed a couple of kids smirking. "Nothing to see here, freshmen. Go on with your pathetic lives." She smiled as they all but sprinted down the hallway. Santana led Rachel into the nearest bathroom.

"What's up?" Rachel asked after Santana kissed her.

"I told my parents about us last night." Santana said. Rachel's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to. I just kind of blurted it out at dinner. I am _so_ sorry baby girl." Santana continued. Rachel shook her head.

"Its okay. I just wish you would have at least told me last night." Rachel said.

"Anyway, they want to meet you. Can you come over for dinner tonight?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"I'm sure I can, but let me text my dads. I'll text you when I get an answer."

"Awesome." Santana said, smiling.

"How much did you tell them?" Rachel asked.

"Everything. Even about Finn." Santana said.

"And they still want to meet me?" Rachel said.

"I told them it was my idea and they understand why we're doing this." Santana replied. Rachel smiled.

"I can't wait to meet them, San," she said.

"This is going to be great, Rachel. I promise. They already love your singing, which I know you love in a person." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I'llsee you in Glee rehearsal." Rachel said. She walked out of the bathroom. Rachel messaged her fathers and got permission. Suddenly, she was nervous. That evening, she made her way to the Lopez house. Cautiously, she rang the doorbell. She only had to wait on the porch for a few short moments before it swung open. A smiling woman greeted her.

"You must be Rachel. I'm Maria, Santana's mother." Rachel shook the hand that was extended in front of her.

"Its nice to meet you, Mrs. Lopez." Rachel said. She returned the smile.

"We loved your singing at Sectionals and Regionals last year. _Don't Rain on My Parade _is my favorite song." Maria said. Rachel beamed.

"Thank you so much." Maria opened her mouth to call her daughter, but the sound of feet crashing down the stairs stopped her. Both Rachel and Maria smiled as Santana neared the foot of the stairs. Suddenly, there was a sudden stop in the noise, followed by a yell. Suddenly, Santana was lying on her back at the foot of the stairs. Rachel's eyes widened and Maria stifled her laughter. "San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. She quickly made her way to the other girl.

"I'm fine. I just tripped and fell down the stairs. I'm okay, though." Santana said. A man came running into the kitchen.

"I heard yelling and then a crash. What happened? Is everyone all right?" he asked. Santana raised a hand from the floor in acknowledgement.

"I fell, Dad. I'm fine," she said.

"Your daughter got a little excited at the arrival of our guest." Maria explained. Santana's father noticed Rachel and smiled.

"You must be the girl my Santana has been talking non-stop about for the past month." he said. Rachel smiled shyly.

"I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry." she introduced. Santana's father smiled and shook her hand.

"Adam Lopez. Its nice to finally meet you, Rachel. You're an amazing singer," the man said.

"Okay, you guys don't need to tell her that. She already knows." Santana said. She smiled up at Rachel. Rachel smiled, shook her head, rolled her eyes, and helped the girl up. "_Gracias_." Santana said. She dusted off her jeans before hugging Rachel.

"Santana, why don't you show Rachel your room? Dinner will be ready in about five or so minutes." Maria said. Santana nodded and started to lead Rachel up the stairs. "Santana." Maria said. Santana turned around. "Don't make me regret letting you do that."

"Mom!" Santana exclaimed. Rachel's eyes widened. Both of Santana's parents laughed at the expressions.

"Just go, _mija_." Adam said. Santana huffed and pulled Rachel upstairs. Once inside the taller girl's bedroom, Santana sighed.

"I am _so_ sorry about that." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Its fine. I assume your parents don't know what happened up here during the duets competition?" Rachel asked.

"No, and they don't need to. Keep your trap shut. I know that's hard for you, but try, okay?" Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes and looked at the pictures on Santana's dresser and desk. A lot were of Santana and Brittany. Santana couldn't help but notice the sad look on Rachel's face. "Baby, you know I would totally put up pictures of us, right?" Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I know." Rachel said in a monotone. Santana stared at Rachel for a moment.

"I want to show you something," she said. Santana reached under her bed and pulled out a trunk. She got the key from her key ring and unlocked it. Rachel gasped when she saw the contents of the trunk. "This is where I keep all of our pictures and… well I guess you could say mementos from our relationship. I look at them all the time. Its amazing Brittany and Quinn haven't caught me looking at them when they come barging into my room." Santana said. Rachel walked over and kissed Santana.

"Its amazing, Santana." Rachel said. Santana smiled and picked up a picture off of her dresser.

"Hey there's one of us after we won Sectionals last year. It may be a group picture, but you and I are hugging in it." she said. Rachel looked at the picture and smiled.

"I love it." she replied. Rachel walked back over and inspected the displayed pictures. She couldnt help but notice a large amount of pictures of Santana and a younger boy. She came across a picture of Santana, her parents, and the same young boy. "San?" Santana turned around.

"Yea?" she asked.

"Who is this?" Rachel asked. She held up a picture of Santana and the boy. Santana stared at the picture for a moment before quickly walking over and yanking the picture out of Rachel's hands. She set the frame back down in its original spot.

"Nobody you need to worry about." Santana said in a sharp tone. Rachel winced at the harsh tone and unconsciously backed away from her girlfriend.

"I… I'm sorry, Santana. I didn't mean to pry." Rachel quickly apologized. Santana closed her eyes and walked toward Rachel. Rachel stopped, not knowing what to expect. When Santana reached her, she pulled Rachel into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Baby girl, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Its just really personal and it makes me sad." Santana explained. She took a deep breath before continuing. "That's my younger brother, Marco."

"I thought you were an only child." Rachel said.

"He died a couple of years ago, when he was twelve. He had leukemia." Santana said.

"San, I am so sorry. I had no idea. Look, we can drop the subject." Rachel said. Santana gave her a weak smile.

"I wish you had met him. He would have liked you." Santana said.

"I'm sure I would have like him as well." Rachel replied.

"You're amazing." Santana said. She leaned down and kissed Rachel's neck as the smaller girl hugged her. Maria called their names and the two girls went downstairs. As Rachel and Santana walked into the dining room, Santana grabbed Rachel's hand and led her to the table.

"Dinner looks amazing, Mrs. Lopez." Rachel said. Maria beamed.

"I like her, _mija_." Maria said.

"As do I. Rachel you're welcome here anytime." Adam said. It was Santana's turn to beam. Her parents' opinions meant the world to her. This just strengthened her opinion on her relationship with Rachel. As the group ate, everyone laughed and got along as if Rachel and Santana had been friends their entire lives.

"Rachel, we would love to spend some time with your fathers and get to know all of you." Maria said.

"That would be awesome, Mrs. Lopez. What did you have in mind?" Rachel asked.

"There's a concert this weekend, about an hour and a half outside of Lima. What if we all went?" Adam suggested.

"Sounds great. I'll talk to them tonight and tell Santana." Rachel said. The next day in Glee Club, Rachel made an announcement. "As most of you know, today is the anniversary of the day we found out Quinn was pregnant." Rachel said. Everyone looked around and noticed the absence of Quinn and Puck for the first time.

"What's your point, Berry?" Santana asked.

"I think we should all write letters to Beth saying our feelings throughout Quinn's pregnancy and give them to Noah and Quinn." Rachel said.

"No way. That's an awful idea. There is no way I'm doing that." Santana said.

"Santana, calm down. Let's take a vote." Will said.

"I'm down with it." Mercedes said.

"Me too." Finn said. Everyone turned in shock.

"If _Finn _is cool with it, I think we should do it." Kurt said. Will nodded.

"Okay, let's get to writing." Santana watched in disbelief as everyone got out pens and paper. She scoffed, stood up and did her impression of a Rachel Berry storm out. Rachel watched as her girlfriend left, rolled her eyes and got to writing. Santana walked out to her car and left school. She drove to a park and sat out on the playground for hours. After six hours, she stared at her notebook. She grabbed the spiral and a pen and started writing.

_Dear Beth,_ she began. Suddenly her phone vibrated.

**New Email**

**Will Schuester**

**No Glee practice this afternoon.**

'_Yes. Now if I can just get Sue to cancel Cheerios, I am golden.'_ Santana thought. Her phone buzzed again.

**New Email**

**Sue Sylvester**

**No Cheerios practice this afternoon.**

'_Awesome.´ _Santana thought. She looked back down at her notebook and began writing again. Once she finished, she went to her car and drove to Rachel's house. Rachel answered the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Santana held up the envelope she had put the letter in. Rachel looked at it and saw that it was labeled, '_To: Beth_'.

"This is what you wanted, right?" she asked. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"You actually did it?" Santana nodded.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I think my letter explains why I reacted the way I did. You can read it, if you want." Rachel nodded and took the letter. Silently, she read to herself.

_Dear Beth,_

_I originally thought that writing a letter to a baby that not one of us has seen since the day it was born was the stupidest idea ever. After thinking it over for a while, I still think its a dumb idea, seeing as you'll probably never read this letter. However, I feel that you should know a few things. _

_First of all, let me start with who I am. My name is Santana Lopez. I've known your birth parents since I was three years old. We grew up in the same town together, went to day care together, and we went to elementary, middle, and high school together. I was at the hospital the day you were born. We were at Regionals for our Glee Club (yea, we were in Glee Club. Shelby Corcoran is your adoptive mother, so you will be too, no doubt.) and we had just finished performing. We were actually competing against the show choir that Shelby directed before she adopted you (they beat us, but we still had fun). Anyway, we had just finished performing and were on our way back to our green room when your mom's water broke. We immediately rushed to the hospital and almost missed the announcing of the winners. We would have gladly missed it, there was no way any of us were going to miss your birth. _

_Anyway, you should know that your parents, your birth parents, do love you. If they didn't, none of us would be writing these letters right now. I know this because your mom and dad are two of my best friends and two of the best people I know. Even your dad. You really changed him, even if you were only in his life (technically) for a few minutes. While your pregnancy did cause many people pain, it also caused a few friendships to form and grow stronger. Towards the end of your mom's pregnancy, she and I grew closer again. We haven't been that close since we were kids. Your mom was my best friend growing up and we kind of grew apart when we got to high school. I deeply regret letting that happen and I wish I'd been more supportive during the pregnancy. Instead, I used that as my chance to get on top. Once I was on top, I didn't like it, because Quinn wasn't there to share it with me. The only thing that was going through my mind during your birth was 'Please let Quinn be okay. Please let that baby be okay.' I knew that if anything had happened to you during birth, Quinn would have been devastated. _

_The fact that she gave you up doesn't mean she didn't, or doesn't, care about you. That isn't the case. Someday, I hope you can meet her so you can actually find that out for yourself, since you won't get the opportunity to read this letter. You gave our Glee Club hope. We were all looking forward to having you around, even me. I was kind of hoping to train you in the art of being smooth talking and getting into trouble (don't tell Shelby or Quinn!). _

_Anyway, I hope that you know that just because you were given up for adoption, doesn't mean that the people who let you go don't love and miss you. I really hope that Shelby is treating you well and that you are happy with her. Good luck with your life. Considering who your parents are and who raised you, you should have a pretty interesting and successful life ahead of you._

_Sincerely,_

_Santana Lopez_

Rachel looked up when she finished reading the letter. "That… Santana, I didn't know you felt that way. I had no idea." Santana smiled.

"Its okay baby girl. No one knows. Not even Quinn." Rachel looked down.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have suggested this." Santana stepped into the house and closed the door. She pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Sweetie, its okay. This was a good idea. If it weren't for your idea, I wouldn't have had the courage to admit this." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana.

"San, you know that we don't have to give this to Quinn if you don't want to, right? You can write a different one if you want to. The fact that you wrote this one at all means the world to me." she said Santana quickly shook her head.

"Rachel, I want Quinn to read this one. She deserves to know how I feel. She _needs_ to know how I feel." she replied.

"Santana, are you sure? This letter is really personal and I know how you feel about people seeing what's under your tough exterior." Rachel said.

"Letting down my walls got me you, didn't it?" Santana asked, looking down. Rachel felt her heart melt.

"It got you me forever." she whispered. Santana looked back up and gave a small smile.

"Forever? Are you sure you want to be around a soulless automaton forever?" Santana asked.

"What? Santana, you are _not_ a soulless automaton. That letter is the exact proof of that. You're the kindest person I know. You'd do anything for Brittany or I. You'd kill anyone who made Brittany cry." Rachel said.

"I'd do the same if someone made you cry." Santana said.

"San, I know. But really, if you want to save this for yourself, its okay with me." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I said its fine!" Santana yelled. Rachel snapped her mouth shut and Santana closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." Santana said. Rachel nodded her head. "I seem to be apologizing a lot lately." Santana commented.

"Its okay. You always apologize immediately." Rachel said.

"Thats exactly what worries me the most…" Santana said.

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.

"My grandfather on my mom's side was abusive towards all of us. We didn't really see him a lot because of it. My parents hated him. The day he died was the best day of my life. I don't think I've ever been that happy. I think that's why I'm the way I am. He'd hit us, the immediately apologize." Santana said.

"Baby, you've never hit me. You've never even raised a hand to me." Rachel said.

"And I don't plan on it. But if I ever do, please leave me." Santana said.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"If I ever hit you the way he hit me or even at all, I do _not_ want you to stay with me. That's exactly what killed my grandmother. I can't even think about hurting you that way. And you don't have to worry about keeping this promise, because I swear I'll never even _joke_ about hitting you." Santana said.

"Okay Santana." Rachel whispered.

"No. Rachel, you have to _promise_ me." Santana said.

"I promise, Santana. But please, don't make me ever have to keep it." Rachel said.

"I won't. You don't have to be scared of me, Rachel. I will _always_ protect you and I will always keep you safe. I will _never_ hurt you. I love you, Rachel." Santana said.

"I love you too, Santana. I have for a long time." Rachel said.

"You loved the cheerleader who was terrible to you." Santana teased.

"Which is probably what made me like you in the first place. Its weird. But I loved that Santana and I'm _in_ love with this Santana." Rachel said.

"Is there a difference?" Santana asked.

"Yes. Love can be used for many different occasions. Your parents, your friends, that chair over there…" Santana quietly laughed. "But being _in _love can only be used for special occasions. Like this … like _us_." Rachel continued.

"I'm in love with you too." Santana said. She smiled at Rachel and kissed the smaller girl. When she pulled away, she smirked. "So do I have to say _'I'm in love with you'_ every single time I want to tell you?" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"No, you dork. You can just tell me that you love me." Santana raised her eyebrow when Rachel called her a dork.

"But Rachel, love can be used for so many different occasions. Being _in_ love is for special things." Santana teased.

"Santana, I don't appreciate the mocking." Rachel said.

"You called me a dork." Santana replied.

"But you _are_ a dork. You're my dork. So shut up." Rachel said. She turned around and walked into her living room.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" Santana asked.

"Yep." Rachel said. Her back was to Santana. Suddenly, she felt herself being tackled from behind. "Santana!" she exclaimed. She turned herself over. Santana laughed.

"Did you really think you could get away with telling me to shut up?" Santana asked.

"So in retaliation you decided to _tackle_ me?" Rachel asked. She struggled to get free. Santana simply pinned her arms above her head. She was laughing the entire time. As she looked into Rachel's eyes, her laughing stopped. Slowly, she leaned down and softly kissed Rachel. She released her grip and Rachel grabbed her neck with her newly freed hands. "I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too." Santana whispered. She stood up, picked up Rachel, and carried her upstairs to Rachel's bedroom. That weekend, Santana and Rachel were going to the concert with their respective parents. Santana had no idea who was playing; she just knew she got to spend an entire day with Rachel. They had made the hour drive out of Lima in Santana's car. They were meeting both sets of parents there. As they drove, Santana looked over at Rachel. The smaller girl looked deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?" Santana asked. Rachel looked over and slightly smiled.

"Just how eventually we are going to have to come out at school…" Rachel said. Santana nodded. "And the consequences it will have." Rachel continued. Santana looked back at the road.

"Consequences?" Santana whispered. She hated how audible the hurt and dejection creeping into her voice was. Rachel looked over at her.

"Sweetie, that isn't what I meant." Rachel said. She started to say something else, but trailed off. Santana didn't meet her gaze. "I just… I think about how hurt Finn will be when this gets out. I hate that I'm going to be the cause of that pain. But then I think about how great you make me feel and how much I love you and I know that taking a chance and starting a relationship with you was the best decision of my life." Rachel continued. Santana nodded slowly. "Baby, are you okay?" Rachel asked quietly. Santana nodded.

"Yea, I'm fine Rachel. I'm just trying to avoid getting into a wreck." Santana replied quietly. Despite Rachel's many attempts, Santana remained quiet the duration of the car ride. As the two reached the entrance of the park that the concert was at, they saw their parents making small talk. Rachel started to reach for Santana's hand, but hesitated, as she was feeling a bit uncertain about her current standing with Santana. However, the taller girl quickly grabbed her hand and walked in the direction of the adults. "Mom, Dad! You've apparently already met Rachel's fathers." Santana said. She smiled up at the adults. Santana's mother smiled back at her.

"Hello girls. How was your drive?" Maria asked. Rachel looked at Santana, who answered.

"It was fine. Should we go ahead and go in?" Santana suggested. The adults nodded and entered the park. Santana gently tugged Rachel along inside with her. As the adults went to find a place to sit, Santana and Rachel went to get food. As they walked to the concession stand, Santana felt the pull on her arm when Rachel suddenly stopped walking. Confused, Santana turned around. "What's wrong, Ray?" Santana asked. She was immediately concerned. Rachel looked at Santana and took a step closer.

"I'm sorry for what I said in the car. I just want you to know that I have _no_ regrets about this relationship. I'm so sorry about how it came out. I just don't want you to think I regret dating you. I don't want you to be mad at me." Rachel said. Santana softly smiled and pulled Rachel into a hug.

"I'm not mad, baby. Why would you think I would be mad?" Santana asked.

"You seemed mad in the car…" Rachel trailed off. Santana smiled.

"I wasn't mad, baby. Yeah, I was hurt by your comment for a second, but I know you didn't mean it that way." Santana said. Rachel looked down at the ground. "I love you, Rachel." Santana continued. Rachel looked back up at her girlfriend and smiled.

"I love you too, San." Rachel said. Santana smiled at Rachel and kissed Rachel. The shorter girl pulled away smiling and hugged Santana. "Let's go ahead and get the food so we can get back to our parents." Rachel suggested. Santana laughed.

"Are you telling me that you'd rather spend _our_ date with our parents than alone with me?" Santana teased. She laughed, grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her to the concession stand. They got their food and walked back to the area that the four adults had settled. The adults had settled on one blanket and left one blanket for Rachel and Santana to sit on by themselves. The taller girl smiled as the tiny diva settled between her legs and Santana wrapped her arms around Rachel's body as the smaller girl snuggled into her body. The two girls lost themselves in deep conservation as they waited for the music to start playing. Santana's mother looked over and saw Santana and Rachel with their heads close to each other's, smiling and talking. Rachel said something to Santana and the taller girl threw her head back laughing. Maria couldn't remember a time when she had seen Santana so happy without Quinn and/or Brittany around. Rachel reached up, grabbed the back of Santana's neck, and pulled her down into a kiss. When the two broke apart, Santana had the widest smile Maria had ever seen her sport. She leaned down and whispered something in Rachel's ear, causing the smaller girl laugh and, in return, making Santana smile again. Rachel reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. Maria reached for her camera and quickly snapped a picture of the two girls. She quickly returned to her conversation with Rachel's fathers and her husband so her daughter didn't catch her watching them.

Santana smiled as Rachel rubbed her legs. The band began playing and Rachel leaned into Santana's embrace and listened to the music. Santana smiled and leaned down to whisper in Rachel's ear. "I love you, baby girl." she said. Rachel smiled and leaned up to Santana's ear.

"I love you too." Rachel whispered. "You're the only one for me." she said. Santana smiled. "Want to take a walk?" Rachel asked.

"A walk? The concert just started." Santana said. She laughed.

"So? I can't make out with you with your parents right there." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow and stood up.

"Hey we're going to go for a walk, okay?" Santana said. The adults nodded and the girls left. Santana pulled Rachel along with her behind a nearby building and kissed her. "This was a great idea, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"I thought you might think so." Rachel said. After making out for a while, Rachel decided it was time to go back She gently pushed past Santana to walk back. However, Santana had a different idea. She stopped Rachel and pulled Rachel onto her back. She carried Rachel back to their parents. Adam looked over and saw the two laughing girls approaching. He smiled, pulled out his camera, and snapped a photo of his daughter and her girlfriend. The two girls reached the blanket and Santana gently put Rachel down on the ground. She sat down and Rachel, who was laying perpendicular to Santana, put her head on Santana's stomach and the two girls listened to the music while Santana stroked Rachel's hair. Santana looked at the sleeping girl who was lying on her stomach. She couldn't believe that she had only been with Rachel for a little over a month and she was already starting to fall in love with her. Hell, she couldn't believe that she was falling in love with Rachel freaking Berry. And she didn't even have a problem with it. She smiled as the smaller girl stirred, snuggling deeper into Santana's body. She looked over and saw her mother trying not to look at the girls. Santana just laughed quietly and shook her head. Her mother was never good at subtlety. "Hi Mom." Santana teased, grinning. Her mother looked over, embarrassed at being caught, and waved. Santana rolled her eyes good-naturedly. She looked back down and saw Rachel looking back at her.

"Hi." Santana whispered, shocked to see her girlfriend awake. Rachel smiled.

"Hi." Rachel replied quietly. Santana smiled at Rachel.

"God, I love you." Santana said. Rachel grinned.

"Well, I'm glad that you love God and everything, but what about me?" Rachel teased. Santana laughed.

"I love you _Rachel_." she emphasized.

"I love you too." Rachel replied. Santana chuckled.

"What woke you up?" Santana asked.

"The vibrations in your stomach when you laughed and talked." Rachel explained.

"Oh, baby I'm sorry." Santana said. Rachel put a hand over Santana's.

"San, it's fine. I was about to wake up anyway. Let's go to the concessions stand and get something to drink, okay?" Rachel suggested. Santana nodded and the two stood up and went in the direction of the food stand. While they were waiting in line, Rachel leaned into Santana's body. Santana smiled down at her girlfriend and quickly kissed her.

"What's up baby girl?" Santana asked. Before Rachel could answer, Santana quickly pulled away. "Oh damn. This isn't happening. This _can't_ be happening." Santana said.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, clearly confused and slightly hurt.

"There's a couple of senior Cheerios over there by that tree. They're twin sisters and they're with their parents and younger siblings. Oh crap. Oh no. _Damn._" Santana swore frantically. Rachel looked over and saw the two cheerleaders.

"Did they see us?" Rachel asked.

"No. At least, I don't think they did. Oh no." Santana said.

"What now?" Rachel asked, sighing.

"They're getting up. It looks like they're walking this way. Damn it! Quick, turn around." Santana said, trying to forcefully push Rachel to face the other way. Rachel sighed, rolled her eyes, and stepped around Santana to the counter to give her order to the hot guy behind the counter.

"Hi, can I get a extra large Diet Coke?" Rachel asked, smiling flirtatiously at the boy. He smiled back.

"Sure, if I can get your name and your number." he flirted. Rachel giggled while Santana glared at the guy as he went to get Rachel's drink.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed in Rachel's ear. Rachel shrugged.

"You're obviously going to be paranoid the rest of the night, so I figured I might as well get some form of entertainment tonight, even if it is shamelessly flirting with a guy I'm never going to call." Rachel said. Santana glared down at her.

"This is _not_ okay with me, Rachel." she growled.

"And I'm not okay with you freaking out because you _think_ two of your damn popular friends are coming over to us." Rachel said. The guy reappeared with her drink. Rachel looked up at the screen and started to pull out her wallet to pay the $2.50 that it cost. The cashier put a hand over hers to stop.

"Tell you what. You give me that number and we'll call it even." he said, giving her a charming smile. Santana growled and slapped a ten-dollar bill on the counter, causing the boy to jump.

"Go ahead and ring up a extra large Sprite and a bag of Skittles, and box of damn Sour Patch Kids while you're at it." Santana said, glaring ath his hand. The cashier quickly nodded and removed his hand from Rachel's. He got the cup and filled it with ice and soda. He set the drink down and got the candy. The total came out to $7.00 even, and he handed Santana her three dollars in change. She threw a fake smile his way. "Thank you so much." she said. She grabbed her drink and the candy and walked away. Rachel quickly followed.

"San, that was so damn rude." Rachel said. Santana shrugged and handed Rachel the Skittles.

"I don't care. He was flirting with you and I didn't like it at all." she said. Rachel grabbed the candy. "Hell, I didn't like it when _you_ were flirting with _him_ either." Santana said pointedly. Rachel looked up at her girlfriend, seeing hurt in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, San. It wasn't supposed to hurt you. You know I love you. But you were busy freaking out over the damn Cheerios." Rachel said.

"I know. I'm sorry about that." Santana replied.

"It's okay. Let's just go back to our parents and enjoy the concert. Chances are they won't go that far over." Rachel said. Santana nodded and the pair headed back to join their parents. Santana layed in her bed Monday night, thinking about how Finnoncence was probably alone in the auditorium with Rachel, rehearsing. She tried calling Rachel, but no answer. She got Rachel's voicemail message. "_Hey its Rachel. Leave a message_." She planned on it.

"Rach, I need you to call me back. I... I really hope you aren't rehearsing your scenes for _Rocky Horror_ with Finn. We agreed that I'd sit in on your rehearsals, even if I had to watch from the very back of the auditorium. Anyway, just call me back. I... I really love you, baby girl. Bye." Santana said. as she hung up the phone. She fell back on her bed and thought back to that morning in Glee Club...

_FLASHBACK_

_That Monday, Santana walked in to the choir room to see Finn and Rachel sitting together. However, Santana noticed that Rachel wasn't sitting as close to Finn as she normally did. Fighting the smile that was threatening to form, Santana rushed to her seat Brittany. The two began talking as Mr. Schue came into the choir room. "Hey guys. This week, we're doing Rocky Horror." Everyone in the club cheered._

_"Finn and I will play Brad and Janet." Rachel volunteered. Santana turned her head to look at Rachel. 'What the hell?' she thought. Rachel was avoiding Santana's eyes. As Mr. Schue got the rest of the parts sorted out, Santana thought about Finn and Rachel being in the play together. She wasn't sure she was okay with that. She pulled out her phone discreetly and sent the other girl a text._

_**To: ****Rachel **_

_**What the hell, Rach?**_

_Santana kept her eyes forward as Rachel checked her phone. She bit her lip as she typed out a reply. Moments later, Santana felt her phone vibrate._

_**New Message**_

_**Rachel **_

_**San, I'm sorry, but I feel that given the circumstances, its appropriate.**_

_**Hell no. I'm NOT okay with this. -S**_

_**Don't be mad at me. -R**_

_**I have the right to be! -S**_

_**This is getting ridiculous. You promised you wouldn't overreact about Finn! -R**_

_**I meant about you guys kissing in the hallway not spending half a play in your underwear together! -S**_

_**I refuse to give up my part, Santana. -R**_

_**Not even for me? -S**_

_**NO! -R**_

_**Well, then what about for us? Do you know how much damage this is going to do to us? -S**_

_**It shouldn't do any. Besides, its not like you haven't seen me in my underwear. You've gotten farther than Finn ever has. -R**_

_**Yea, I know, but... -S**_

_**But nothing. TRUST me, San. I love YOU, not Finn. -R**_

_**...Fine. You can do the play. But I'm not happy about it. -S**_

_**You'll be there for most of our rehearsals anyway. -R**_

_**I plan on it. -S**_

_The bell rang and Santana gathered her bag, storming out of the room. The rest of the club assumed she was mad about getinng double casted in the play. Rachel knew what was really going on._

_END FLASHBACK_

'_How could my relationship go from amazing to undetermined in one morning?_' Santana thought to herself. She shook her head. The only thing she could do was to wait for Rachel to return her call. She somehow fell asleep, because next thing she knew, she was being jolted awake by the sounds of Justin Bieber's '_Kiss 'N Tell_'. She picked up her phone cautiously.

**Incoming Call**

**Rachel **

"Hello?" Santana said groggily.

_"...Did you just wake up?"_ Rachel asked.

"Naps are healthy, Rachel. What do you need?" Santana asked, hoping to get back to her nap.

_"You left me a voicemail asking me to call you back. I just got it."_ Rachel said.

"Oh... did you just get done rehearsing with Finn?" Santana asked, somewhat accusingly.

_"Okay, I don't really appreciate the tone. And I wasn't rehearsing with Finn. I was at dance class." Rachel said._

"Mmhmm..." Santana said, looking at her pillow.

_"San are you okay?"_ Rachel asked.

"Yea, Rach... I'm fine. I just... I feel really... really hot right now." Santana said.

_"Where are you?"_ Rachel asked.

"My room. My parents are at work." Santana said.

_"San, you keep your room at like 50 degrees. How the hell are you feeling hot in there?"_ Rachel asked, getting worried.

"I dunno. I just... just... am." Santana said.

_"I'm on my way over."_ Rachel said.

"I don't want you to." Santana weakly argued.

_"Why?"_ Rachel asked.

"I"m mad at you." Santana said.

_"Get over it. You're home alone and most likely sick. I'm on my way over."_ Rachel said. She hung up the phone before Santana could say anything else. Rachel walked into the Lopez house and ran up the stairs to Santana's room. She entered the room to find Santana lying on the bed in her pajamas. Rachel stopped in her tracks. She had never seen Santana look so pathetic. "San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana looked up.

"Go away." she groaned. Rachel shook her head. "Go away!" Santana repeated.

"Santana, I'm not going anywhere, so shut up and let me take care of you." Rachel said. Santana groaned and rolled over. "What do you need?" Rachel asked.

"I need you to go away. I'm mad at you." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. She propped Santana up against her pillows and covered her up with a blanket. Santana tried to throw it off. "I'm too hot." Santana said. Rachel smirked.

"Got that right." she said. Santana attempted to smirk, but couldn't pull it off. Rachel let it be and left the blanket off. She went into Santana's bathroom and looked through the medicine cabinet. She saw a thermometer and grabbed it. She walked back into Santana's room. "Open your mouth." Rachel ordered. Santana looked over, saw the thermometer, and obeyed. Rachel stuck the thermometer in Santana's mouth and waited until it beeped. She pulled it out and looked at it. "Damn. 101.4. San, you have a fever." Rachel informed her girlfriend. Santana groaned again.

"What does that mean?" Santana asked.

"It _means_ that you get to waited on hand and foot by me." Rachel said. Santana shook her head. "Santana, you're going to let me take care of you." Rachel ordered. Santana groaned.

"Fine." she gave in. Rachel smiled. "But I won't like it." Santana said. Rachel shrugged.

"You don't have to like it. But you will deal with it and not give me any crap." Rachel said. Santana nodded. Over the course of the next hour, Rachel took care of Santana, getting whatever the girl needed. Around eight, Mrs. Lopez came home and found Rachel in the kitchen.

"Oh hello, Rachel. Are you and Santana hanging out?" Mrs. Lopez asked.

"Not exactly. Santana's sick and I'm taking care of her." Rachel explained.

"Santana's sick?" Mrs. Lopez asked. Rachel nodded.

"She has a fever of 101.4." Rachel said. Mrs. Lopez ran up to Santana's room. Santana looked up and saw her mom.

"You called my mother?" she asked Rachel.

"She came home from work, Santana." Rachel explained.

"Mom, I'm fine." Santana croaked.

"Santana, you have a 101.4 degree fever and frankly, you look awful." Mrs. Lopez said. Santana sighed. "I'm going to go check on the tea." Mrs. Lopez said, feeling the tension between the girls. Once she was gone, Rachel spoke up.

"Why are you mad at me?" Rachel asked, sitting down on the bed.

"You were with Finnocence." Santana said.

"No, I wasn't. I was at dance class, like I told you. Baby, I promised that you could be at every rehearsal and I meant that." Rachel said.

"You never told me that you had a dance class today." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"Yes, I did. You were too busy glaring at Finn to pay attention." Rachel said. Santana looked at her.

"I do do that a lot." Santana admitted. Rachel smiled.

"Are you still mad at me?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head and Rachel pulled her into a hug.

"Good, because I love you. I don't want you mad at me." Rachel said.

"I love you too Rach." Santana said. Rachel's phone rang.

**Incoming Call**

**Finn**

Rachel looked over at Santana. "It's Finn isn't it?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded and Santana sighed. "Go ahead and answer it." Santana said. Rachel smiled apologetically as she answered.

"Hello?" Rachel said.

_"Hey Rach. Want to get together tonight?" _Finn asked. Rachel looked over at Santana.

"Actually Finn, I have something to do tonight." Rachel said.

_"What could be more important than hanging out with me?"_ Finn asked. Santana heard this and mouthed '_Everything_._' _Rachel stifled her laughter before turning her attention back to the phone.

"Someone I love is really sick and I promised to take care of them. I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel said. Finn sighed.

_"Okay. If it's that important to you than I can take a rain check. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." _Finn said. Rachel bit her lip.

"Yea. You too." Rachel said before hanging up.

"Wow, you almost outted us." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I never said that it was someone I was dating. As far as Finn's concerned, I could be taking care of my grandfather." Rachel said.

"So now I'm your _grandfather_?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled.

"I don't kiss my grandfather like I kiss you, San." Rachel said.

"Good, because that would be really weird." Santana teased. Rachel rolled her eyes and kissed the top of Santana's hair. "Now, I'm going to spend however long it takes and make sure you feel better. I'm here for you." Rachel said. Santana smiled and put her head in Rachel's lap.

"You're amazing, Rach." Santana said.

"That's not what you were saying earlier when you were mad at me." Rachel said.

"Well, I'm saying it now. You're wonderful. That's why I love you." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana's forehead.

"Normally, I'd kiss you on the lips, but no." Rachel said. Santana laughed, which turned into a cough.

"I understand." she coughed out. Rachel smiled sympathetically. "I'm so happy that that stupid musical is over." Santana said to Rachel as they sat in Rachel's room on her bed. It'd been a week and a half and Rachel knew how hard it'd been for Santana. "I mean, it sucks that we don't get to perform, but still."

"Its okay, San. I understand. I was looking forward to it, but I get to spend more time with you... _alone_ time." Rachel said. Santana grinned.

"That's my favorite kind." Santana said, putting her head in Rachel's lap. Rachel stroked the Latina's hair as she admired her girlfriend's face.

"You're so beautiful, San." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled and grabbed her diva's hand.

"So are you." Santana said, leaning into her girlfriend's body, causing Rachel to laugh. "How the hell did I get so lucky?" Santana asked.

"You lucked out that I needed to get into the closet and we got locked in." Rachel said. Santana smiled up at her.

"And you used to think my making fun of you was a bad thing." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"So... what ideas do you have for the mash-up? We have to do rock and roll songs." Rachel said.

"I love _'Livin' on a Prayer.'" _Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"That's a great song... Mercedes mentioned doing _'Start Me Up'."_Rachel said. Santana nodded thoughtfully.

"Want to work on it?" Santana asked. Rachel raised an eyebrow in surprise and nodded. Santana rolled off the bed and grabbed Rachel's laptop. She quickly printed out the lyrics to both songs and got a legal pad and a pen from Rachel's desk. Rachel couldn't do anything but watch her girlfriend as she worked on mashing up the songs together. After ten minutes, Santana spoke up. "Listen to this." Santana said, beginning to sing.  
><em><br>_

_Tommy used to work on the docks_  
><em>Union's been on strike, he's down on his luck.<em>  
><em>It's tough, oh so tough<br>__We gotta hold on ready or not_  
><em>You live the for the fight when that's all that you've got<em>

"That was amazing, Santana." Rachel said. Santana shrugged and Rachel grabbed her phone.

"Let's get everyone over here." Rachel said. Santana grabbed her phone.

"No! Ray, we can't spend time alone if everyone else is here. Besides, how do we explain why I'm already here?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down.

"I didn't think about that." Rachel said. Santana lifted her chin.

"We'll tell them I got here first." Santana said. Rachel smiled as Santana kissed her before calling everyone. Twenty minutes later, all the girls were in Rachel's room, working on the mash-up. Santana hated that Mercedes and Tina were on the bed with Rachel - the spot she'd been occupying less than half an hour ago. She was sitting on the floor on the other side of the room with Brittany and Quinn.

"I think Santana should sing the chorus." Brittany said. Santana smiled over at her best friend.

"Sounds like a great idea." Rachel agreed. Everyone looked over in shock. After they got all the arrangements done, they worked on the choreography. Three days later, it was their day to perform.

_Start me up  
>Start me up<br>__Tommy used to work on the docks_  
><em>Union's been on strike, he's down on his luck.<em>  
><em>It's tough, oh so tough<br>__We gotta hold on ready or not_  
><em>You live the for the fight when that's all that you've got<em>

_Start me up_  
><em>We're half way there<em>  
><em>Oh livin' on a prayer<br>__Start me up_  
><em>We'll make it I swear<em>  
><em>Oh livin' on a prayer<em>

_If you start me up_  
><em>Kick on the starter give it all you got, you got, you got<em>  
><em>I can't compete with riders in the other heat, yeah yeah<br>__I'll make a grown man cry,_  
><em>I'll make a grown man give it a shot<em>

_Start me up_  
><em>We're half way there<em>  
><em>Oh livin' on a prayer<br>__Start me up_  
><em>We'll make it I swear<em>  
><em>Oh, livin' on a prayer<br>__Livin' on a prayer_

_Oh, we gotta hold on, ready or not_  
><em>You live for the fight when that's all that you've got<em>

_Start me up_  
><em>Oh, we're half way there<em>  
><em>Oh, livin' on a prayer<em>  
><em>Take my hand, we'll make it I swear,<em>  
><em>Oh livin' on a prayer<br>__Start me up_  
><em>If you start me up I'll never stop <em>  
><em>Livin' on a prayer<em>  
><em>Take my hand and we'll make it I swear<em>  
><em>Oh, livin on a prayer<br>__Oh, we're half way there_  
><em>Oh, livin' on a prayer<em>  
><em>Take my hand and we'll make it I swear,<em>  
><em>Oh livin' on a prayer<br>__Livin' on a prayer_  
><em>You gotta start me up<em>

All the girls hugged each other as they finished. Santana even allowed herself to hug Rachel, but it was a lot quicker than her other ones because she was afraid if she went any longer, she'd accidentally out them by kissing her girlfriend in the middle of the choir room. Finn and Kurt had volunteered the Glee Club to sing at their parent's wedding. Santana had always liked Finn's mom and Kurt's dad, but they were doing it for _free_. Mr. Schue said they were getting paid in practice for Nationals, but Santana knew that was just purely BS. She also knew what going to a wedding with the Glee Club meant. She had to watch Finn be all over Rachel while she looked beautiful. It was hard enough to watch when Rachel was wearing her animal sweaters. "Ray..." Santana whined for the fifth day in a row.

"San, I'm not backing out of the wedding. And neither are you." Rachel said. Santana frowned and went behind Rachel.

"But baby..." she whispered, nuzzling the girl's ear. Rachel smiled softly and pulled Santana's arms to wrap her waist. "Baby girl, I love you." Santana whispered again.

"I love you too, S." Rachel said softly.

"Then why can't we not sing at the wedding?" Santana asked.

"Because the song only works if the entire club is singing."

"So? Its just a stupid wedding." Santana argued.

"Santana, no. I'm doing this for Finn."

"I'm tired of Frankenteen." Santana huffed.

"I know baby. But I also know that you aren't ready to come out yet." Rachel whispered. Santana sat down on her bed. Rachel quickly sat on her lap. "San, I promise you, as soon as you're ready, I will proudly come out with you." Rachel said. Santana nodded and kissed her girlfriend. She knew that no matter what, Rachel would choose her over Finn and she hated herself for still being afraid. She was one hundred percent in love with Rachel Berry. She should be proud to announce that to everyone. But there was a tiny part of her that was scared of what everyone would say about her being gay. She'd be damned if they were going to say anything about Rachel, because that shit wasn't going to fly. Once they were out, nobody was ever going to insult Rachel again... at least not without repurcussions. She just wasn't sure how much more hiding she could take. She loved Rachel and she was tired of having to hide how happy the diva made her. On the day of the wedding, Santana found Finn getting ready... well attempting to. Finn looked in the mirror and saw Santana watching him.

"I never learned how to tie a tie." he said, laughing. She gave him a fake smile.

"Sit down Frankenteen." she said, grabbing the tie and fixing it for him. "You know, if you just told people that we had sex, you'd be above Sam in the food chain again." she said suddenly. He met her eyes.

"Maybe, but Rachel would break up with me." Finn said. She rolled her eyes.

"And that would be bad because...?"

"Because I'm in love with her and I don't want to hurt her feelings." he said. '_Shit. I didn't think about that. She'd hate me too.'_ Santana thought, but didn't stop.

"Can't you see that that freak is dragging you into the depths of Loserdom?" Santana said. _'Please don't ever let her find out I said that.'_ she thought

"Stop it Santana. That's my girlfriend. I think you should go." Finn said. Santana finishe up the tie and stood up.

"Well maybe I'll tell her." Santana said. '_Maybe not. I'd like to keep her.'_ "I mean, if you two broke up, we'd be free to see each other, right? '_Never.'_ she thought. Rachel walked in.

"What's going on?" she asked, making eye contact with Santana before looking at Finn.

"Nothing. I was just leaving." Santana muttered, gently pushing past Rachel and leaving the room. After they finished their song and watched the ceremony, Santana watched Rachel from across the table. Finn and Kurt were sitting with their parents, but Brittany had wanted to sit by Santana and Rachel had sat next to Mercedes. They made eye contact and Santana offered a small, but significant smile. It was their secret '_I love you_' smile that they used in public when no one was looking. Rachel quickly returned the smile, but turned as Finn moved to make his best man speech. It was time for their performance of _Just the Way You Are_ for Kurt. They got through the rest of the reception without Santana killing Finn. It helped that Rachel would look over from time to time and give her some form of acknowledgement. At that moment, Santana made up her mind. She was done hiding their relationship. Obviously, she wasn't going to walk up and tell Finn about their relationship at his mother's wedding, but she vowed that they'd be out before Sectionals...


	3. The Pezberry Secret, Part I

**_The Pezberry Secret, Part I_**

Santana walked into the choir room after Cheerios practice. She had remembered that she had forgotten her backpack when she had left the room to hurry to practice. She saw her bag and walked over to it. She had just picked it up when Rachel walked in. "Hello Santana." Rachel greeted the other girl.

"Berry." Santana responded, looking around her to make sure no one would witness the two having a conversation. She watched as Rachel walked towards her.

"So I didn't really see you much today, aside from Glee." Rachel said.

"Yeah well, you must not have been looking hard enough because I was around." Santana replied, getting nervous as Rachel started stroking her arm. "Berry, what do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, Santana. No one's here. Everyone has left for the day. Even Coach Sylvester's gone." Rachel assured the other girl, smiling as she felt the taller girl fall into her touch.

"God, Rach. You have _got_ to stop looking so hot during rehearsal." Santana said.

"I do it for you baby." Rachel smirked.

"Well its not fair to do that when I can't have you right there. Besides, Finn and Puck keep looking at you and soon I'm going to crack and beat the both of them into senior year of _college_." Rachel laughed.

"Santana, keeping this a secret was your idea in the first place, remember?" Santana sighed.

"Yeah, I know. But its just so frustrating. Sometimes I just want to slap myself for it. But then…" she trailed off.

"But then you think about what would happen. I get it San. I have almost told people like Kurt or Mercedes and then caught my tongue thinking about that. I mean look what happens to Kurt. And he's single." Rachel said.

"I am so sorry about it." Santana started to lean in for a kiss when she heard footsteps. She instantly jumped back. "When is your boyfriend going to get here Man-Hands?" Rachel, who didn't hear the footsteps, looked confused.

"What?" Suddenly, Finn entered.

"Hey Rach. You ready to go?" he asked, casting a suspicious look in Santana's direction.

"Actually, Berry and I have to work on a Chemistry project. She's coming home with me." Santana said, attempting to hide the anger and defensiveness creeping into her voice. Finn looked disappointed.

"Fine. But don't mess with her Santana. Just do your project and don't bother her."

"Look, Finnocence, do _not_ tell me how to talk to my-" Santana cut herself off. "My project partner." She finished, catching herself.

"Yeah well, she's my girlfriend." _She is mine too. She is actually more mine than yours Frankenteen, so back off!_ Santana wanted desperately to say that, but held her tongue as she watched Finn leave the room. She and Rachel then walked to Santana's car.

"Santana, you can't talk to Finn like that." Rachel said once they were in.

"What? Why not?"

"Why not? Because he's my boyfriend, Santana!" Rachel said.

"And what about me? I'm your girlfriend. Or do you forget that when your alone with him?" Santana snapped back, slightly wincing at Rachel's hurt expression.

"San, that's not fair. I offered to break up with Finn. You told me not to, so people wouldn't get suspicious." Rachel said.

"But you were _not_ supposed to keep _liking_ him!"

"Santana, there will always be a part of me that loves Finn. He was my first love. They say you never completely fall out of love with your first love." Rachel said.

"But you're with _me_." Santana countered.

"And I love being with you. But as long as I am with Finn as well, you can't go off on him every time the three of us are alone together. You have to pretend as if we hate each other." Santana looked out the driver's side window.

"Maybe I can't do that anymore. The more I fall in love with you, the harder its getting to pretend I hate you. I hate having to be so mean to you. I want to be able to just _talk_ to you in public without having to insult you."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, can we please tell the Glee Club tomorrow?" Santana asked. Rachel thought about that.

"I think we should tell Finn privately first. Just so we don't completely put him on the spot." Santana nodded.

"Call him now." Rachel nodded and pulled out her cell phone.

"Hi Finn? Hey, it's me. Can you come over to Santana's house? We need your opinion on our project….Yes I actually want your academic opinion." Santana rolled her eyes. When Rachel hung up the phone, she spoke up.

"Really, Rach? _That's _the excuse you made up? First of all, we now have to find something to ask him about. Second, why on earth would someone ask _Finn_ _Hudson_ for help on a project?" Rachel just laughed as Santana drove to her house. When Finn got to Santana's house, he looked suspicious of something.

"So what do you need to ask me about?" he asked, speaking to Rachel.

"Actually Finn, we have something we need to tell you." The girls decided it would be better if Rachel did most of the talking.

"What's up?"

"Santana and I…I mean, we are….Santana and I are…" Rachel trailed off.

"Are you trying to tell me that you two have been dating since homecoming week when we sang that Britney Spears number?" Finn interrupted. Both girls looked at him.

"You know?" they asked in unison.

"Rachel, you're my girlfriend. I know you. I see you watching Santana when she isn't looking. And I see Santana watching you when you're not looking. And I see the looks you two share when you make eye contact. Plus, when's the last time Santana slushied you?" Finn reasoned. Santana and Rachel looked at each other.

"You're not mad?" Rachel asked.

"At first, I was. But then I realized I want you to be happy." Finn said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Santana asked.

"I want her to be happy. She wouldn't be very happy if I outed her to the school. Besides, I figured if Rachel and I were together, nobody would suspect you two were together." Finn smiled. Santana nodded.

"Wow. Thanks, Finn." The two shared a smile.

"We were planning on telling the Glee Club tomorrow, but we wanted you to know first. We didn't want to blindside you. But it looks like we wouldn't have anyway." Rachel said.

"Thanks for respecting me enough to do that. Seriously, it means a lot. If anyone gives you guys a hard time about it, I'll be the first to beat them up. Yeah, even before you, San." Finn said.

"I don't doubt that Finn." Santana said.

"I really do hope you two are happy together." Finn said to his (now ex) girlfriend and her new (Well, not new technically, but for all intents and purposes) girlfriend. Santana was sitting with Brittany and Quinn in the choir room when Finn walked in. Santana smiled at him and he gave her a weird look, which caused Santana to be confused. Then she saw Rachel enter and started to move towards her, but the shorter girl quickly shook her head and sat down next to Finn. She started to think about what she could have to upset Rachel that quickly, but the entrance of Mr. Schuester and the rest of the Glee Club interrupted her thoughts. She quickly raised her hand.

"Yes, Santana?" the teacher asked.

"Mr. Schue, I have an announcement I'd like to make. Actually, I have a song that I'd like to sing." the Latina said.

"Sure. Go ahead Santana." the teacher replied.

"Ok so normally-" the girl was cut off by the shorter brunette quickly interrupting.

"Make it quick Santana, please. I need to discuss with Mr. Schuester what songs Finn and I should perform at Sectionals." Rachel gazed lovingly at Finn, leaving Santana both hurt and confused

"As I was saying, normally I would never go near a Justin Bieber song, but I feel that now is an appropriate time." Santana had originally chosen to sing _U Smile_, one of Rachel's favorite songs, but she quickly chose another.

"What song are you going to sing?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Uh…_That Should Be Me_." Santana replied. Rachel glanced up, recognizing the song as Santana started singing, while looking at Rachel the entire song.

_Everybody's laughing in my mind_  
><em>Rumors spreading 'bout this other guy<em>  
><em>Do you do what you did, what you did with me?<em>

_Does he love you the way I can?_  
><em>Did you forget all the plans that you made with me?<em>  
><em>'Cause baby, I didn't<em>

_That should be me holding your hand_  
><em>That should be me making you laugh<em>  
><em>That should be me, this is so sad<em>  
><em>That should be me, that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me feeling your kiss<em>  
><em>That should be me buying you gifts<em>  
><em>This is so wrong, I can't go on<em>  
><em>'Til you believe that that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me<em>

_You said you needed a little time for my mistakes_  
><em>It's funny how you use that time to have me replaced<em>  
><em>Did you think that I wouldn't see you out at the movies?<em>  
><em>Whatcha doing to me?<em>  
><em>You're taken' him where we used to go<em>  
><em>Now if you're trying to break my heart<em>  
><em>It's working 'cause you know<em>

_That, that should be me holding your hand_  
><em>That should be me making you laugh<em>  
><em>That should be me, this is so sad<em>  
><em>That should be me, that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me feeling your kiss<em>  
><em>That should be me buying you gifts<em>  
><em>This is so wrong, I can't go on<em>  
><em>'Til you believe that should be me<em>

_I need to know should I fight for our love or disown?_  
><em>It's getting harder to shield this pain in my heart, ooh<em>

_That should be me holding your hand_  
><em>That should be me making you laugh<em>  
><em>That should be me, this is so sad<em>  
><em>That should be me, that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me feeling your kiss<em>  
><em>That should be me buying you gifts<em>  
><em>This is so wrong, I can't go on<em>  
><em>'Til you believe that that should be me, ooh<em>

_Holding your hand, that should be me_  
><em>The one making you laugh, oh baby<em>  
><em>Oh, that should be me, yeah.<em>

_That should be me, giving you flowers_  
><em>That should be me, talking for hours<em>  
><em>That should be me, that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me<em>

_Never should've let you go_  
><em>I never should've let you go<em>  
><em>That should be me<em>  
><em>Never should've let you go<em>  
><em>That should be me<em>

_Never should've let you go_  
><em>Never should've let you go<em>

Finn noticed Rachel beginning to tear up at Santana's performance. Santana was now standing right in front of the supposedly happy couple and sang the last line.

_That should be me._

Everyone awkwardly clapped until Mercedes spoke up. "Ok, I think I am just gonna say what everyone else is thinking. What is going on right now?" Santana looked at Rachel.

"I, literally, sang my part. Its your turn, Rach." Rachel nodded and walked to the front of the room, Santana in tow.

"Guys, Santana and I are…well, we're dating."

"What?" Everyone but Finn exclaimed in unison.

"For how long?" Kurt asked.

"Since homecoming week, when we sang the Britney number." Santana answered.

"Wait, but Rachel has been dating Finn since Regionals last year." Quinn spoke up.

"Finn did you know about this?" Puck asked.

"Yea, I did. I kept it a secret to help out Rachel and Santana."

"But S," Brittany, who was too blonde for her own good, spoke up. "What about the time you slept with Finn? Does that make it awkward?" Finn and Santana's faces both instantly dropped, while Rachel's paled.

"You guys…you guys slept together? Santana opened her mouth to respond when Brittany continued.

"Yeah, Rachel. Santana and I make out all the time too."

"What?" Rachel exclaimed. Santana turned to face the shorter girl and attempted to explain herself. "You know what Santana? Don't even try. We're so over." Rachel stormed out of the choir room.

"Rachel! No!" Santana called after Rachel. Brittany attempted to consol the Latina, but she instantly pulled away. "No, Brittany. While I can't be mad at you for a long period of time, I can't be around you right now." Santana said.

"Go after her Santana." Finn said.

"She doesn't want me right now."

"She'll forgive you faster if you go after her. When she storms out, she _wants_ someone to follow her. And right now, she wants that someone to be _you_. So go find her." Finn said. Santana nodded and walked out of the room in search of Rachel. She found her in the library after about ten minutes of searching.

"Took you long enough." Rachel said.

"This is a big school Rach. And you're kind of small." Santana tried to joke, earning the tiniest smile she had ever seen on Rachel. She barely saw it, it was that small. She crouched down by the chair Rachel was sitting in.

"Why did you sleep with Finn?"

"Rachel, we weren't together. You and Finn weren't even together. You were with Jesse. I am _so_ sorry about it, but it just kind of happened. Nothing has happened since then, I promise." Santana said.

"With Finn, at least. What about Brittany?"

"She exaggerates. We haven't made out in months. It sort of stopped when we began, because I was unsure about us, so it didn't stop completely, but after about a week of us being together I put a complete stop to it. Then she started dating Artie." Rachel simply nodded. Santana was lost. "Do you…do you believe me, Rach?"

"Are you telling me the truth right now? Are you being completely honest with me?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Of course. I would never lie to you, especially not about this, Rachel. I just need you to believe me. Just like you did during Sectionals last year when everyone else thought I gave Coach Sylvester the set list." Rachel smiled, remembering.

"I believe you, Santana." Santana smiled.

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. This isn't going to work without trust and I trust you." Rachel kissed Santana.

"Then we're okay?" Santana asked.

"We're more than okay." Rachel replied. A week after the big revelation, Santana and Rachel were still as strong as ever. In Glee Club, the two were practically inseparable. Mr. Schuester was beginning to find it annoying that he had to beg the pair to separate. It was becoming highly difficult to rehearse for the upcoming Sectionals competition. Suddenly he had an idea.

"OK guys. We're going to have another duets competition. You are each going to have three chances to impress the judges, each time with a different partner. I am going to pick the pairs for the first two rounds, but you are allowed to pick your partner for the final round." At that part of the introduction, Rachel and Santana looked excitedly at each other.

"Ok first round will be this week, second round next week, and the final round the week after _that._ Here are the pairs for the first round." The teacher went on to announce the pairs.

They were:

_Mike and Brittany_

_Artie and Tina_

_Sam and Mercedes_

_Kurt and Quinn_

_Puck and Santana_

and

_Finn and Rachel._

If it weren't for the fact that Finn had been so cool about the new couple, Santana would have been furious that the two had been paired together and not Santana and Rachel. But Santana knew that it was only a matter of time before she could partner up with her favorite member of New Directions. The pairs got together and discussed what songs they were going to sing. "So Satana. What song do you want to sing?" Puck asked.

"I have a song in mind." Santana said with a smirk. Three days later, the two were performing.

"Okay, first up we have Santana Lopez and Noah Puckerman singing." Mr. Schue said. The two walked to the front of the choir room.

"Santana and I would like to dedicate this song to our favorite ladies." Puck said, smiling at Quinn. The song began to play.

_[Santana]_  
><em>I know you want me<em>  
><em>I made it obvious that I want you too<em>  
><em>So put it on me<em>  
><em>Let's remove the space between me and you<em>  
><em>Now rock your body<em>  
><em>Damn I like the way that you move<em>  
><em>So give it to me<em>  
><em>'Cause I already know<em>  
><em>What you wanna do<em>

_And here's the situation_  
><em>Been to every nation<em>  
><em>Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do<em>  
><em>You know my motivation<em>  
><em>Given my reputation<em>  
><em>Please excuse me I don't mean to be rude<em>

By this time, Santana was standing in front of a now laughing Rachel.

_But tonight I'm loving you_  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>

Santana was dancing around Rachel's chair

_You're so damn pretty_  
><em>If I had a type then baby it would be you<em>  
><em>I know you're ready<em>  
><em>If I never lied then baby<em>  
><em>You'd be the truth<em>

_And here's the situation_  
><em>Been to every nation<em>  
><em>Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do<em>  
><em>You know my motivation<em>  
><em>Given my reputation<em>  
><em>Please excuse me I don't mean to be rude<em>

Santana pulled Rachel out of her chair and started dancing with the smaller brunette.

_But tonight I'm loving you_  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>

_Oh you know  
>That tonight I'm loving you<br>_

As Puck began to rap, Rachel went back to her chair, much to Santana's dismay. The girl spent the entirety of Puck's part attempting to convince Rachel to come back up with her.

_[Puck]_  
><em>Haha! Puck!<em>  
><em>Tonight I'm gonna do<em>  
><em>Everything that I want with you<em>  
><em>Everything That you need<em>  
><em>Everything that you want<em>  
><em>I wanna honey<em>  
><em>I wanna stunt with you<em>

Puck was standing in front of Quinn and pulled her out of her chair.

_From the window to the wall_  
><em>Gotta give you my all<em>  
><em>Winter and the Summertime<em>  
><em>When I get you on the springs<em>  
><em>I'mma make you fall<em>

_You got that body_  
><em>That make me wanna<em>  
><em>Get up on the floor<em>  
><em>Just to see you dance<em>  
><em>And I love the way<em>  
><em>You Shake that ass<em>  
><em>Turn around<em>  
><em>And let me see them pants<em>

Santana, victoriously convincing Rachel to rejoin her at the front of the room got ready to sing.

_You're stuck with me  
>I'm stuck with you<br>Let's find something to do  
>Please excuse me<br>I don't mean to be rude_

_[Santana]_  
><em>But tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>  
><em>Oh you know<em>  
><em>That tonight I'm loving you<em>

Everyone in the Glee Club clapped, including the two girls that had been pulled up to the front. Santana pulled a laughing Rachel into a hug and whispered, "I love you baby girl."

Rachel whispered back, "I love you too." and smiled as she remembered the first time they had said those three words to each other.

_FLASHBACK_

_The two were making out in Rachel's room. Things were beginning to get heated when suddenly Santana pulled back._

"_What's wrong baby?" Rachel asked. She got a little afraid as Santana just stared at her. A smile began to grow on the Latina's face. "Santana. You're beginning to scare me."_

_Santana's smile faltered a bit. "Sorry baby. I didn't mean to scare you."_

"_Then what's wrong?" Rachel asked._

_Santana looked in Rachel's eyes. "I just…I love you Rachel." she said, smiling._

_Rachel's eyes widened. "You…you what?"_

"_I love you Rachel. So much." Santana was getting a little scared. What if Rachel didn't love her back? What if she had just made a complete fool out of herself? Santana was going through many scenarios in her head, all which ended with her single, alone, and depressed, when her thoughts were interrupted by the girl in front of her._

"_I love you too, Santana. I've wanted to say it for awhile, but I didn't know if you felt the same way." Rachel smiled._

"_How could you ever doubt that?" Santana asked._

"_Do the words 'slushie', 'dwarf', and 'God Berry. Quit being such a buzz kill and let people do what they want for a change.' ring a bell to you?" Rachel teased, unintentionally causing Santana's face to drop. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…" Rachel trailed off as Santana lifted a hand._

"_No. I'm the one who should be sorry. All that stuff I said and did to you, it was mean and wrong and unnecessary."_

"_Its okay Santana."_

"_No its not Rach."_

"_San, its fine. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I know you've changed. The girl who did all that stuff? She's gone and she's been replaced by someone who I have fallen in love with. I don't even remember that Santana, because I have this one." Rachel smiled and kissed Santana again._

"_I love you baby girl." Santana said._

"_I love you too."_

_END FLASHBACK_

The two were still hugging. Santana could tell something was on her girlfriend's mind. "What are you thinking about?"

"The first time you told me that you love me." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"That's probably my single favorite memory that I have."

"Its definitely mine." Rachel replied.

"Get a room!" Puck yelled, causing Santana to look away from Rachel for the first time since the song ended.

"Hey! You're hanging all over your girlfriend too!" Santana replied, pointing at Puck and Quinn who were in a similar situation to Rachel and Santana.

"Yeah, whatever." The Mohawked boy replied laughing. Santana rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Rachel, who was pulling her back to their seats. As Mr. Schue began to talk, she whispered to her girlfriend.

"Well, now I'm going to have thank you for that performance." Rachel said, sending shivers down Santana's spine. Granted, that happened almost every time Rachel whispered to her, but something about this time was different. As Santana and Rachel left Glee Club that afternoon, Santana began thinking about their relationship. She remembered the day they had decided to stop hating each other. The two had somehow got locked into a janitor's closet together. Santana had been assigned to clean that closet for her detention she received in English class that day and Rachel had been looking for something. At the time, Santana had not cared enough to find out what the other girl had been looking for and she never remembered to ask Rachel later. She smiled, thinking back at how the two had started that afternoon insulting each other, then ended it making out.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Berry, will you please just shut up so we can both get out of here alive?" Santana growled._

"_Santana, my talking will not kill us." Rachel said._

"_No, but it may get you killed by me." Santana threatened._

_Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the floor. Santana noticed this and decided to make small talk. "What are you thinking about?"_

_Rachel looked shocked. "Wha…What?"_

_Santana rolled her eyes. "What's on your mind Berry?"_

"_The Britney number. I'm so nervous. Last time we performed in front of the school, we almost got the club cancelled."_

"_That's because you guys sang 'Push It' and practically did it on the stage." Santana laughed._

"_And the choreography isn't as risqué for 'Toxic'?" Rachel threw back smiling._

"_Touché." Santana couldn't believe she was laughing with Rachel Berry. The two settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence, which was soon broken by Rachel._

"_Are you nervous about your solo in 'Toxic'?" _

"_You know, ever since Mr. Schue gave me that solo in 'Don't Stop Believing' at Regionals, I haven't gotten as nervous about solos. I mean, I don't care what anyone says about me being in Glee Club anymore. I have fun." Santana admitted._

"_Santana, you don't have to convince me. I meant what I said at Sectionals last year. I believe you didn't give Sue the set list and I believe that you love Glee Club." Rachel smiled._

"_Thanks, Rachel. Surprisingly, that means a lot to me." Santana said._

"_Oh my god." Rachel said._

"_What?" Santana started glancing around. "Did you see a mouse or something?"_

"_No. You just…you called me Rachel. I don't think you've ever done that before." Rachel said._

"_Hmm…you're right." Santana said._

"_I mean, you don't have to back to calling me Berry. I was just making an observation." Rachel hurried on._

_Santana laughed. "You're kind of funny, Rachel. I never noticed that before because you were too busy making me mad by yelling at us."_

_Rachel looked down. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Santana apologized._

"_No. Its not you. I spent the summer trying to fix my OCD about perfection and stuff like that."_

"_Rachel, most of the time, the criticism you give is good. But that fact is overpowered by the fact that you spend 99.9 percent of rehearsal yelling at us or fighting for a solo in every competition. If you just chilled out a bit, the others may appreciate what you say." Santana said._

_Rachel slowly nodded her head. "I think…I think you're right Santana."_

"_When am I not?" Santana smiled._

"_I assume you don't want to hear my answer." Rachel said. The two girls laughed. Santana, who had been standing on the opposite side of the closet, sat down by Rachel._

"_You know, when you aren't being all annoying, you're kind of cool, Rachel." Santana said._

"_And when you aren't constantly insulting me, you are too." Rachel replied._

_Santana looked down towards the girl. Slowly, she leaned closer and the last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Rachel leaning up with her eyes closed. Next thing she knew, the two were kissing. Santana didn't know who pulled away first, but in her head she was cussing them out._

"_That was…" Santana trailed off._

"_Unexpected." Rachel finished._

_Santana looked away. "But it wasn't awkward." Rachel continued._

"_That it was not." Santana agreed. "I don't know which scares me more. The fact that it wasn't awkward or the fact that I kind of want to do it again." Santana said. "Did I just say that out loud?"_

_Rachel laughed softly. "Yeah, you did. But I don't mind." When Santana turned her head to look at Rachel, Rachel kissed her. This time, Santana pulled away._

"_What about Finn?" she asked._

"_What about him?"_

"_Well, you are cheating on him, Rachel." Santana said._

"_Well before I decide anything about Finn, I need to know what this is leading to." Rachel countered._

_Santana swallowed both to clear her throat and to swallow her pride. "I am not so sure that I want it to end."_

_Rachel smiled. "I feel the same. But I do not want to hurt Finn."_

_Santana nodded. "There is no way that I can ask you to choose. Not after how horrible I have been to you and how good he has been." She got up to move, with Rachel stopping her._

"_Santana, no. I do not want to hurt Finn, but I will if I have to. I know I felt something real there. Something that I never even felt with Finn." Rachel admitted._

"_Really?" Santana asked._

"_Santana, I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar." Rachel said._

"_Rachel, I think I'm starting to really like you. And, honestly, it scares me." Santana said._

"_Hey, this scares me too. Up until ten minutes ago, I couldn't stand you." Rachel replied._

_Santana looked around. "Maybe its all the cleaning chemicals."_

_Rachel hit her, causing the other girl to laugh. "Santana! That's not funny. This is serious. I like you. You, supposedly," she said giving the girl a pointed glare earning a sly grin from Santana, "like me as well. What are we going to do about it?"_

_Santana nodded. "OK. Here's what we're going to do. You and I are going to start dating."_

"_You could try asking me." Rachel said, but Santana didn't hear her as she continued._

"_But, you're going to continue dating Finn." _

"_Still waiting to…wait. What?" Rachel asked._

"_Rachel, I'm sorry. I think we should keep us a secret, at least for now. I mean, I really do like you, but you get bullied enough. If people know we're dating, anyone who hates me is going to target you." Santana said._

_Rachel nodded. _

"_And while I would totally fight for you, I can't be around you 24/7. However, that option does not sound so bad right now." Santana continued._

"_That makes sense, Santana. But I'm still waiting to be asked something." Rachel said._

_Santana gave her a blank stare. "What?"_

"_Maybe I don't want to date you. Maybe I just want to make out. But you wouldn't know, because you haven't asked." Rachel smiled._

"_Rachel, will you please be my girlfriend? Please, with a cherry on top?" Santana smiled._

"_Well, if you're going to throw in the cherry plea, I don't think I can say no." Rachel smiled and laughed. "Seriously though, I'd love to Santana." _

_Santana rolled her eyes and laughed as she leaned in for another kiss. However, Rachel saw her roll her eyes and hit her. Santana laughed. "Sorry, baby girl." Rachel kissed her new girlfriend._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Hey Rach?" Santana asked, coming out of her flashback.

"Yeah?" The smaller girl asked.

"Remember the day you and I got together, when we were trapped in that closet?" Santana started.

"Is this a trick question?" Rachel asked.

"Uh…no."

"Of course I do Santana. It was kind of the starting point of this." Rachel gestured toward the two of them. "What about it?"

"Why were you in the closet? I mean, I was in there for detention, but what were you looking for?" Santana asked.

Rachel grinned. "I wasn't looking for anything. I saw you go in there and followed you."

"Wait. What?" Santana asked, stopping in her tracks.

"In fact, I'm the one who locked us in there." Rachel continued.

"OK, so confused here." Santana stated.

"Baby, I'd liked you for awhile before the closet. I wanted to be around you. I had no idea this would be the result. Not that I mind, of course."

"You little sneak. You totally stalked me that day." Santana said.

"Are you mad? Because if I hadn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. In fact, I'd probably be somewhere with Finn, making out…" Rachel trailed off at Santana's glare.

"That's nothing to even hypothetically speak of." Santana said.

"Sorry." Rachel said. The two continued walking.

"No." Santana suddenly said.

"What?"

"The answer to your question is, no." Santana continued walking as Rachel stopped in her tracks, trying to figure out what Santana was talking about. Just as it clicked, Santana turned around.

"Are you coming or not?" She asked smiling. Rachel grinned and caught up to her girlfriend. "Good thing you aren't mad because you're kind of stuck with me now."

Santana rolled her eyes and Rachel hit her. "Sorry baby girl." The two girls smiled at each other and continued on to class. When Santana got home, her phone rang. She knew by the ring tone, Justin Bieber's song _"Kiss and Tell",_ that it was Rachel.

_Baby, i know that your cool with rockin' with me_  
><em>But i can't have you tellin' everybody<em>  
><em>That you got me all twisted with your lips like this so<em>  
><em>Tell me, Tell me are you gonna kiss (kiss n tell)<em>  
><em>Tell me are you gonna kiss (kiss n tell)<em>  
><em>Tell me are you gonna kiss me<em>  
><em>Then tell everybody<em>  
><em>That you got me twisting with your lips<em>  
><em>Girl are you gonna kiss n tell<em>

Santana picked up. "Now that people know about us, I should probably change your ring tone, huh?"

"Yeah, probably." Rachel laughed. "Remember when I put that as your ring tone for me?"

_FLASHBACK_

_The day after the two had started dating, Rachel and Santana were at Rachel's house. Rachel was singing 'Defying Gravity' along with a DVD copy of 'Wicked' and Santana was on the Internet on her iPhone. _

"_Hey Rach, what do you want your ring tone to be on my phone?" Santana asked._

"_Well, what is it now?" Rachel asked._

_Santana hesitated. "Uh…"_

_Rachel turned around. "Santana?"_

"_I don't remember what it is right now. What do you want it to be changed to?" Santana asked._

"_I want to know what it is before I change it." Rachel picked up her phone and started dialing Santana's number._

"_Rachel, I don't think that's a good id-" Santana was cut off by the sound of screeching cats filling the air. Rachel looked at her in disbelief._

"_Really? That's your ring tone for me?" Rachel asked._

"_Oh yeah. That's what I put." Santana unsuccessfully tried to play dumb._

"_Why?"_

"_Because up until yesterday, that's what I heard whenever you spoke." Santana admitted._

"_OK, we definitely need to change that." Rachel said._

"_Wait. You aren't mad?" Santana asked._

"_Nah. Your ring tone on my phone is the unedited version of 'Forget You.' Yours is not…completely untrue." Rachel said._

_The two of them laughed. "Seriously though. What song?" Santana asked._

"_Let me go through your songs." Rachel took Santana's phone. "Hmm…'Hate On Me'. No. 'The Boy is Mine.' No. 'I Wanna Sex You Up.' Definitely not." Santana laughed. "Justin Bieber song. Justin Bieber song. More Justin Bieber songs. Dang Santana. I didn't really take you for the type to like Justin Bieber."_

"_Uh…Brittany put it on there?" Santana said._

"_Santana." Rachel said._

"_Fine. I put them on there. Don't tell anyone that-" Santana started._

"_You're a secret Belieber!" Rachel exclaimed._

"_Rachel! Shut up." Santana said. _

"_Sorry. I won't say anything else about it. Right after this. Santana, I can't believe you like Justin Bieber." Rachel said._

"_Just go through the songs."_

"_Wait a second. Just how against Justin Bieber are you? Because I think I found the perfect song for my ring tone." Rachel said._

"_Its not 'One Time' is it? Because I don't think I can do that." Santana said._

"_No. Its 'Kiss and Tell.' Want me to play the chorus?" Rachel asked._

"_I don't need you to. Its perfect." Santana smiled. _

"_Yeah…just like me." Rachel said. Santana started to roll her eyes but Rachel held up her fist. _

"_Don't make me hit you again, Lopez." _

"_Hey! I thought we were calling each other by our first names." Santana said._

"_I've never not called you by your first name. You've always called me Berry." Rachel said._

_Santana scoffed, earning a slap on the arm from Rachel. "Just set up the song, Berr- Rachel." Santana smiled at Rachel's glare as Rachel set up the song._

"_Can we please change my ring tone on your phone?" Santana asked._

"_What song do you want?" Rachel asked. Santana took her phone back and scrolled down to find a song. "I got the perfect song in mind."  
><em>

"_Oh really? What song….oh my god. No, Santana." Rachel said._

"_What?" Santana asked, grinning slyly._

"_I'm not putting 'I Wanna Sex You Up' on my phone. Not even as a ring tone." Rachel said._

_Santana grumbled. "Fine." She mumbled under her breath as she looked for a different song. _

"_Or 'I'm A Slave For You.' Santana, find a decent song, please." Rachel said._

"_I was going to say 'Endless Love.' But 'I'm A Slave For You' works too." Santana said._

"_That's a great song. But I sang that with Mr. Schue, remember?" Rachel asked._

"_Oh yeah." Santana winced and shivered uncomfortably. "Never mind. 'Hello?' What about that one?"  
><em>

"_Sang it with Jesse." Rachel said._

"_OK, what songs haven't you sang with other people?" Santana asked._

_Rachel checked her play lists on her phone. "I think I found a perfect one."_

"_Who's it by?" Santana asked._

"_Justin Bieber." Rachel said._

"_Rach…."_

"_Hear me out." Rachel said._

"_What's it called?" Santana asked._

"_You're gonna love it. Its called 'Latin Girl.' What do you think?" Rachel asked._

_Santana smiled. "I like it. Set it up."_

"_What about text messages?" Rachel asked._

"_What's your favorite Justin Bieber song?" Santana asked._

"_Its 'U Smile.' Why?" Rachel replied._

_Santana messed with her phone for a second, then took Rachel's phone and sent herself a text. Suddenly 'U Smile' filled the air that Rachel's confusion had made silent. Rachel smiled and took her phone back, set something up, then did the same as Santana had done. Her phone notified her that Santana had sent her a text with Justin Bieber's 'Favorite Girl.' _

"_OK, I may find this cute right now, but don't text or call me at school." Santana laughed._

"_Well, okay. I mean if you want to go eight hours without talking to me or hearing me say stuff like…" Rachel leaned over and whispered in Santana's ear._

"_I'll keep my phone on vibrate." Santana quickly said. Rachel laughed._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Yeah. We probably should change that one. I have the perfect song in mind." Santana said.

"You still can't put _I Wanna Sex You Up_ as my ring tone." Rachel said.

Santana sighed. "Fine. We'll talk about it later."

The next day when Santana arrived at her locker, Brittany was already at hers, which was right next to Santana's. "Hey B. What's up?"

"S, can I ask you a question?" Brittany said.

"Yeah, of course. What's up?"

"I thought Rachel was your girlfriend." Brittany said.

"Uh…she is. What's your question, B?" Santana was used to being patient with Brittany.

"Then how come you aren't stopping the hockey team from picking on her?" Brittany asked.

Santana's eyes widened. "What? Where?"

"In the front entrance. Didn't you see them when you came in?" Brittany replied.

"No, I came in through the side entrance by the cafeteria. That's usually where Rachel comes in. Britt, call Puck and Finn and tell them to come to the front entrance immediately. Please don't forget." Santana said before sprinting to the front entrance, completely ignoring the yells of the people she pushed out of the way and the yells from Ms. Pillsbury, requesting her to slow down to a brisk walk. _Uh, no thanks crazy lady._ She thought. As she approached the entrance she saw a big circle of jocks. "Hey!" she yelled. The jocks, including Karofsky, turned around.

"What do you want Lopez?"

"Why are you messing with Berry?" she demanded, stepping between the circle that had formed around Rachel, enclosing her between them and the wall. Santana stood protectively in front of Rachel, who was holding back tears. Santana glanced at Rachel, feeling her anger rising and her heart breaking. Rachel was covered in various colors of food coloring and ice, which could only mean one thing. Her suspicions were confirmed as she saw the empty cups in their hands.

"Oh, did you want in? I think we have one more slushie left." Azimio said.

"No, I don't want in. I want you to leave her alone. Why are you even bothering her anyway?" Santana yelled.

"We have solid proof that she has been messing around with a Cheerio. We don't appreciate her taken them away from us." Karofsky said.

Santana's eyes widened. "Okay, first of all, no sober Cheerio would ever be with any of you. And second of all, that's no reason to slushie her!"

"Why do you care? You can't stand her." Karofsky said.

"That's not true. And by the way, that Cheerio? Yeah, that was me. What are you going to do about it?" Santana said.

"San, what are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, its okay." Santana said.

"_San? Rach?_ What is going on here?" Azimio asked.

"I'm dating Rachel Berry. And I want everyone to know! I'M DATING RACHEL BERRY!" Santana yelled.

"Santana." Rachel said.

Santana turned around. "Rachel. It's okay. This is all going to be okay, I promise." She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"What?" She asked.

"You're right, _San_. It is all going to be okay. Right after this." Karofsky grabbed the extra slushie and threw it in Santana's face. She screamed at the cold.

"San!" Rachel exclaimed.

"HEY!" the group heard Finn's voice. Puck and Finn quickly made their way to the circle.

"Britt, take the two of them to the bathroom and help them clean up. We're going to take care of these guys." Puck said. Brittany, Santana, and Rachel walked to the bathroom.

"Brittany, I could have used you _before_ the slushie." Santana said.

"Sorry. I couldn't remember how to open my phone." The other two girls rolled their eyes.

"Its okay, Britt. We know you tried. _Don't we_, Santana?" Rachel said.

"Its okay, B." Santana said.

"I'm going to go find Artie, if you guys are ok." Brittany said.

"Go ahead, B." Santana said. When Brittany was gone, she turned to Rachel. She wiped some of the ice of Rachel's head.

"You do realize what just happened, right?" Rachel said.

"Yea. I do. And I'm okay with it. I'm tired of hiding, Rach. And now we don't have to." Santana said. Rachel started tearing up. "Rach, are you crying? Did I mess up?"

"No. I'm just so happy to hear you say that. But I'm mostly crying because I have food dye in my eye."

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Santana started helping Rachel clean up. After getting the dye out of Rachel's eye, Santana turned her around and pulled her into a hug. "I'm serious Rachel. Its going to be okay." Rachel started to hug back when they heard yelling. Suddenly, the door banged open and the two jumped at the sound. Santana heard Rachel gasp when she saw who entered.

"Karofsky! What are you doing in here?" Santana exclaimed. The boy ignored her and kept walking. "Karofsky. I said, what are you doing in here?" Santana said. She was getting uneasy at the look in Karofsky's eye. She began walking backwards, gently pushing Rachel back with her. At the same time, Rachel was also walking backwards, gently pulling Santana with her.

"It's going to be okay, San." Rachel whispered.

"No, I don't think so, _Rach_." Karofsky said.

"Don't talk to her." Santana said.

"Someone a little protective?" Karofsky said.

"Watch it, Karofsky." Santana said.

"I don't think so, Satan." Karofsky laughed. The three heard yelling outside the door. It sounded to Santana like Puck and Finn.

"Where did he go?" they heard Puck ask.

"Maybe he went in the girls bathroom. That's where the girls are!" Finn said. Karofsky pushed Santana and Rachel into the big stall and closed the door. "Lock the door or I'll hurt both of you."

"You touch Rachel and _I'll_ hurt _you_." Santana countered.

"Just lock the door!"

"San, please just do what he says." Rachel pleaded, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Santana instantly relaxed under her touch.

"If you want me to, Rach."

"Please baby." Rachel said. Santana locked the door. She and Rachel backed up into the farthest corner. Santana remained in front of Rachel, who took one of Santana's hands. She put the other one in her Cheerios jacket. She felt her phone. She pulled it out and turned her head. "Rach." She whispered. She started writing a text message to Puck.

**To: Puck**

**In the bathroom. Locked in a stall with Rachel. KAROFSKY HOLDING US HOSTAGE. HELP. **

She soon had a response.

**New Message**

**Puck**

**Be there in five seconds **

_How can Puck possibly be here in-_ Santana's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening again. "Karofsky get away from them!" Finn yelled.

"Hudson, how are you_ not _mad that Santana stole your girlfriend?" Karofsky asked.

"Because I'm happy for them. But you aren't on my nice list!" Finn replied.

"Karofsky, if you don't get out of here, I will beat the crap out of you." Puck threatened.

"Hey! HEY! What is going on in here? Why are you three guys in the girl's bathroom?" Mr. Schue's voice filled the air. He entered the bathroom with Ms. Pillsbury.

"Mr. Schue!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel? Is that you?" the teacher yelled.

"Mr. Schue!" Santana yelled.

"Santana? Are you guys in the stall? Together?" the teacher asked.

"Its not what you think, Mr. Schue. If you get us out of here, I can tell you everything." Santana said.

"Karofsky is holding the girls hostage, Mr. Schue." Puck said.

"David, go to the principal's office. Ms. Pillsbury will take you. You four go to mine." When they got to Mr. Schue's office, Santana was the first one to speak.

"Mr. Schue, this morning when I got to school, Karofsky, Azimio, and the hockey team were surrounding Rachel. They had all slushied her. I got in the middle and tried to stop them, but they slushied me, as well. Puck and Finn tried to break it up and Brittany took Rachel and I to the bathroom to get cleaned up. We were cleaning up and Karofsky came busting in. He threatened Rachel and I and then pushed us into the stall. He threatened us again if we didn't lock the door. I texted Puck and he came in and tried to help. Then you came in."

"Santana, I'm so glad you told me. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Mr. Schue said. That night, Santana went to Rachel's house, after telling her parents that she didn't feel up to going to dinner and to see the new local museum with them as she had planned. The two went up to Rachel's after saying hello to Rachel's fathers. Santana was the first to speak.

"Rachel, are you okay? You haven't really spoken since the whole bathroom scene." Santana said.

"I'm fine. Really. I just, I keep thinking about what could have happened. You know, if Puck and Finn hadn't come in to the bathroom when they did." Rachel replied.

"Rachel, you know I would never have let anything happen to you." Santana assured Rachel.

"I know, but what if you had gotten hurt trying to protect me?"

"Then I know that I would have had you to help me get better." Santana said.

"If he had touched you, I would have tried to protect you too." Rachel said.

"While that's extremely sweet…" Santana trailed off.

"Yeah, I know you're stronger than me. But you know how in Biology we learned that when a child is in danger, its like the parents get like super strength?" Rachel said.

"So I'm like your child?" Santana smirked.

"No. But it can be like anybody someone loves." Rachel said, chuckling.

"I know. I'm just messing with you, Rach." Santana said, hugging Rachel. They heard the house phone ring, but didn't pay attention to it since Rachel's dads were home. Rachel leaned up and started to kiss Santana. The girl began to kiss back, when there was a knock on Rachel's door.

"Girls? Rachel, Santana, can you two please come down here?" Leroy, Rachel's dad said.

"In a minute." Rachel replied, not letting go of Santana.

"Rachel, now please." Her dad insisted. Rachel and Santana exchanged a worried look at the strained voice.

"O…okay, Dad. We'll be right down." The two girls went down and saw Rachel's dads sitting on one of the two couches in the living room. Leroy motioned for the girls to sit on the other couch.

"Santana, we just got an interesting phone call." Leroy began.

"Wha…I….Mr. B, I didn't do anything wrong." Santana said.

"No, we know you didn't, sweetie." Hiram, Rachel's father said.

"Then what's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Santana, your parents…" Leroy began, trailing off.

"My parents what?" Santana asked, praying what she was thinking wasn't true.

"Your parents were at the new museum. They happened to be looking at an expensive piece of artwork when some robbers came to steal that piece. They tried to hurt your mother to get to the artwork and your father tried to protect her. They…they shot both of your parents, Santana." Hiram continued. All the color drained out of Santana's face. Rachel had never seen Santana look that way.

"Are they okay? They have to be okay. We have to get to the hospital." Santana rambled.

"Santana, they didn't…they didn't make it." Leroy said.

"No." Santana whispered.

"Sweetie, I am so sorry." Hiram said. Santana just shook her head. Rachel tried to grab her hand, but Santana pulled away. She stood up and walked out of the Berry house. She didn't know where she was going, but she kept walking down the street. She heard her name being called, but didn't turn around. She stopped when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Santana." Rachel said. Santana turned around, still not saying anything. If she said anything, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop crying.

"Sweetie, come here." Rachel said, pulling the taller girl into a hug. That gesture made Santana start crying. "Sweetie, I know its going to take a long time, but its going to be okay."

"No it won't Rachel. You don't get it." Santana said.

"Explain it to me, then." Rachel said.

"Without my parents, I have no one. Both of them were only children, so I have no cousins. I'm an only child, so I have no siblings. And both of my parents' parents are dead. I'm all alone and I'm only 16." Santana cried.

"San, you have me. I promise. I will help you get through this." Rachel said.

"Promise that you won't leave me, Rachel. I can't handle that. If you leave me, then I really do have no one." Santana said.

"I promise you. I will never leave you. You're stuck with me." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I don't even know where I'm going to live now. I can't live in that house and I can't afford an apartment." Santana said.

"You can live with me. My dads told me to tell you that after you left the house." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "Thank you."

"For letting you live with me?" Rachel asked.

"For loving me." Santana said.

"Baby, you don't have to thank me. Its not like it's a chore or anything. But you're welcome." Rachel said.

"What am I gonna do, Rachel?" Santana said, her mind all over the place.

"_We're_ going to go back to the house and figure it out. We are in this together. There's no _I_. There's no me without you and there's no you without me. I promise I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." Rachel said.

Santana smiled. "I love you Rach."

"I love you too San. I'm so sorry."

"Sorry won't make them come back. But thank you." Santana said.

The two girls walked back to the Berry house, both of their lives forever changed.

Over the next few days, with the help of the three Berrys, Santana planned her parents' funeral. She was going to speak at it. At first, she wasn't sure if she would be able to, but she knew it was what they would want. After the funeral, Rachel's fathers finally convinced her that it would never be a good time to go to her house and sort through everything and move all of her possessions to their house, so she might as well do it soon. Rachel and her fathers helped her move her stuff to the Berry household, but only Rachel remained to help Santana sort through her parents' stuff. Or so was the plan.

"Rachel. I can't…I can't do this. I can't just sort through this stuff as if my parents were never in my life." Santana said after boxing up everything else.

"Baby, it has to be done. And I think your parents would prefer that you did it, rather than the Bank or random people." Rachel said

"What kinds of people go sorting through random people's homes?" Santana said.

"Didn't you steal the lights on our Glee Club Christmas tree from your next door neighbor when she passed away?" Rachel asked.

"Oh…." Santana said. "Why don't you do it? It's the next best thing." Santana continued, before walking out of the house and getting in her car. The two had drove separate cars to make it easier to transport everything. Rachel followed shortly after. Later that night, after dinner (which Santana had skipped. In fact, Rachel had not seen Santana since she left the Lopez house earlier that day.), Rachel went up to Santana's room. She knocked on the door. "Come in." a muffled voice said.

"San? You okay?" Rachel asked.

"Yea. I'm fine." Santana tried to smile up at her girlfriend, but Rachel noticed the tear-stained face and blood-shot eyes.

"No you're not. Santana, talk to me. I want to help you." Rachel said.

"Can you make my parents come back?" Santana asked.

Rachel remained silent. "Exactly. You can't. if you can't do that, then you can't do anything for me." Santana said.

"San…" Rachel walked over and attempted to hold Santana, but the taller girl pushed her away. "Santana."

"Rachel, get away. You're the reason my parents are dead!"

"Wait, what?"

"If I hadn't gone to your house instead, I would have been with them. I was going to convince them not to go to that stupid museum and just go straight to dinner. But no! I was with _you_ instead! If it weren't for you I'd be at home with my parents alive right now! I…I hate you, Rachel!" Santana exclaimed. Those last three words tasted bitter in her mouth after not having said them in such a long time.

"Santana, you and both know that you don't believe that." Rachel quietly said.

"I…I'm sorry, Rach. I don't even know why you're with me. All I've done over the past week is whine and cry." Santana protested.

"San, your parents just died." Rachel said.

"You think I need you to remind me? I'm not stupid!" Santana exclaimed.

"I never said you were."

"You're treating me like I am. If you want to be in a relationship with an idiot, then go back to Finn! Maybe we'd all be better off. You'd get to be the smarter person in your relationship and I get to back to being alone. Everyone's happy." Santana said.

"Is that what you want?" Rachel asked quietly.

Santana didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Rachel nodded. "Okay then. If that's what you want then its…_we're_ over."

"Great." Santana said, bitterly.

Rachel, while trying to hold back tears, walked to the door. "San…tana? Can I say one last thing?" She began.

"What?" Santana said.

"You may hate me, but I still love you. And even if we are breaking up, you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you would like to."

Santana nodded. "Thanks, Rach…Berry."

Hearing Santana call her by her last name almost caused the tears to fall from Rachel's eyes. Somehow she managed to make it to her room without crying. As soon as her door closed and she had changed into her pajamas, a green tank top and matching pants, she went to her bed and cried into her pillow.

Unknown to Rachel, Santana was doing the exact same thing in the room down the hall. Rachel's dads had gone to see a movie, trying to give the girls some alone time. Santana had changed into her pajamas, a blue tank top and matching pants (she and Rachel had gone shopping together at Target), and laid down on the bed and cried. She felt terrible for what she said. She didn't believe any of it, but she had to revert back to her old ways to get Rachel to break up with her. She wanted to give the other girl an out. Rachel deserved so much more than her and she didn't want to hold her back. It had only been five minutes and she already missed her diva. _Rachel Berry just broke up with me. The best thing that has ever happened to me broke up with me. I'm Santana Lopez. How did I let that happen?_ she thought. Well, she knew what she could do now, since she knew she couldn't take back the past.

Rachel was lying in her bed, thinking she had cried out all of her tears, when a new batch came out of her eyes. She already missed her Latina. She heard a knock on her door, but ignored it, thinking her dads were home early and wondering what happened. Another knock. Then another.

"Go away Dad, Daddy." Rachel said. Santana stood outside Rachel's door. "Go away Dad, Daddy." She heard from the other side of the door. _She didn't say "Go away, Santana." So that can't mean that the "Go away." applies to me, can it? Forget it, who am I kidding? I'd go in even if she did say "Go away, Santana."_ The girl proceeded to open the door slowly. Rachel noticed the light from the hallway coming into her room. Annoyed, she sat up. "I though I…" she trailed off, noticing who was in her room. "What are you doing in here?" Santana shrugged, although she knew exactly what she was doing in there. She was there to get her baby back. "What do you want, Santana?" Rachel asked. Again a shrugged shoulder was the response Rachel received. "If you aren't going to give me a verbal answer, then can you please leave?"

"You." Santana said.

"What?"

"You asked me what I want. I want you."

"Then you shouldn't have broken up with me." Rachel said.

"Technically, you broke up with me." Santana replied. She walked forward and sat down next to the diva on the bed. "Nice pajamas." She said, attempting to lighten the mood. Rachel looked down, then looked at Santana, noticing for the first time Santana's eyes were even more red than they had been five minutes ago.

"Santana."

"Rachel."

"You came to me, remember?" Rachel said.

"Rach, I'm sorry. I was a jerk and I totally deserved to have you break up with me. I can totally understand if you don't want to take me back. But if that's how it happens, then I want you to hear this. I don't blame you for my parents' deaths. I don't think you're overbearing or try to be smarter than me, and, most importantly, while I do think you're too good for me, I _don't_ want you to go back to Finn, because I'd rather have you myself. But if that's who you choose, then I'll support you even though I won't let you go without a fight." Santana said.

Rachel looked at Santana. "San…"

"Rachel, please. Just give me another chance. I'm sorry." Santana was pleading now. Rachel remained silent. Trying to lighten the mood again, Santana said. "If you'd told me at the beginning of the year you and I would be dating, I'd have thought you were even more crazy than I thought you were. If you told me _you_ would be the one to break up with me, I'd have slapped you. If you told me that I would be begging for you to take me back, I'd have had you committed. But now we are here and all I'm doing is praying that you actually do take me back."

Rachel nodded. "And if I told you that I would take you back?"

Santana took a moment to process this. "I'd kiss you."

Rachel smiled. "Then come here."

Santana grinned. "Really?"

"Are you trying to talk me out of it?"

"No. Never." Santana leaned over and kiss Rachel. The shorter girl deepened the kiss and pulled the taller girl on top of her as she layed down.

"I love you Santana. Please don't ever blame me for something like that again. And especially don't tell me to go back to Finn." Rachel said.

"I love you too Baby girl. I promise I won't. You are my life and I won't do anything to lose you." Santana said.

"Would you really fight to get me back?"

"If I had too. You're my world Rachel. I don't know what I'd do without you." Santana said.

"Makeout with Brittany."

"Want me too?" Santana smirked.

"You do and your dead." After Rachel said that, Santana pulled away. "San…I am so sorry. That was a bad joke. I am so sorry."

"Rachel, its okay. Its going to take awhile for me to be able to hear the word _'dead'_ without that reaction, but its okay. I'm not mad." Santana said.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "I'm sure." Santana leaned down to kiss her again. "Rachel, like I said, you're my world and my life. I love you. Its really hard to be mad at you."

"You didn't used to think that. Do you know what that means?" Rachel asked.

"What?"

"You, Santana Lopez, are totally _whipped_."

Santana mock-gasped. "Take it back." Rachel shook her head. "Take. It. _Back_."

"No. Its the truth."

Santana smiled. "You know what? It is. And I don't even care."

"Wow."

"What?"

"I just…I never thought I would ever hear_ that_ come out of your mouth." Rachel said.

"Yeah…tell anyone and I'll deny it, but I love you Rach."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Yo'll deny that you love me?"

"What? No…wait a second." Santana stammered.

"I'm just messing with you, _Satan_." Rachel laughed.

"That's not funny, _dwarf_." Santana threw back.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What did you just call me?"

"I believe it was dwarf." Santana said.

"Wow…outside of Glee Club before we were out, you haven't made fun of my height in forever. I mean, you even stopped play-joking about it." Rachel said.

"Hmmm….I thought something was strange." Santana said.

"Santana!"

"Relax! I'm just kidding. I love your height. When I'm standing next to Finn during dance routines, and I'm feeling short, when you come around it makes me feel better." Santana smiled.

Rachel just raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm glad that my height makes you feel good about yourself."

"That's not the only reason it makes me happy when you come near." Santana said.

"Too late to try to get yourself out of that one." Rachel said. The two sat in a comfortable silence. Santana took that moment to simply look at the girl she was with. "What?" Rachel said after about two minutes of Santana staring at her.

"Nothing…just how did I get so lucky to get you?" Santana asked.

"My amazing skills to lock a janitor's closet." Rachel said.

Santana laughed. "Thank you."

Rachel was confused. "For…loving you?" thinking it was like last time.

Santana shook her head. "No…well yes, but that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant, thank you for stalking me that day." Santana smiled.

"Santana, I wasn't _stalking _you. I happened to be walking by – do not give me that look, Santana, it was coincidental – I happened to be walking by when I saw you go into the closet, and I took advantage of that opportunity. I didn't even know you had detention. That's not stalking." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you're in my English class, the class I got detention in. I got detention for making fun of you in class." Santana laughed.

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't a coincidence, but that's still not stalking." Rachel said.

"Whatever." Santana said. "Stalker." She mumbled under her breath

"Now that you have reminded me of why you were in detention in the first place, I'm wondering why on Earth I even followed you there." Rachel said.

"You love me and you wouldn't have me any other way." Santana said.

"Yea, I do love you just the way you are. Whipped." She added the last part under her breath.

"Girl, keep saying it and it won't be true." Santana fake threatened.

"You could never leave me. You already said you don't know what you'd do with out me." Rachel smiled.

"True, but then you gave me an excellent idea."

"You're not going anywhere near Brittany ever again." Rachel said.

"Relax, babe. You have nothing to worry about. I'm totally yours." Santana assured her girlfriend.

"You better be, or we'llhave a serious problem. Although I guess if you went back to Brittany, Quinn would be fun to pursue." Rachel said.

"You're never sitting by Q again." Santana said.

"Calm down, Santana. I'm just kidding. I don't want Quinn. I only want you." Rachel said.

"That's what I thought you said." Santana smiled. The shorter girl pulled the Latina down into another kiss. "I love you." the two girls whispered at the same time.

"Santana?" Rachel said after a few minutes.

"Yea babe?"

"Am I your first love?" Rachel tentatively asked.

"You know…I think you are. I mean, I told Britt I loved her, but it never felt like this. And I do love Brittany. As a sister." She quickly added at her girlfriend's glare. "But I definitely don't feel _that_ way about you. So…yeah. You're my first love." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "You sounded kind of scared when you asked that." Santana commented.

"I was. I was afraid to hear the answer." Rachel said.

"What? Did you think I was going to tell you that you were my fiftieth love?" Santana teased.

"Well…" Rachel said.

"Rach!"

"I'm kidding, San. But you don't know how happy it makes me to know that I'm your first love." Rachel said.

"Am I _your_ first love?" Santana asked, already knowing the answer.

"Santana…" Rachel trailed off.

"Rachel, its fine. I know that Finn meant a lot to you." Santana said, earning a smile (which, in her opinion, was the best part of Rachel's face), from Rachel. That prompted her to continue. "Which is why whenever I think of that, it makes me feel a million times better to know that you chose me over him." Santana smiled.

Rachel hit Santana, knowing that is what the taller girl expected. "Yes, I did. and I'm very proud of you. Since we told him, you haven't rubbed that in his face."

"He was cool about us. Its the least I could do. Especially after what he did for us with Karofsky." Santana said.

"Thank you for trying to protect me then, by the way."

"Of course. He wasn't going to get near you. But I don't want to talk about him." Santana said.

"What do you want to talk about?" Rachel asked, suspecting the answer.

"I'd rather not talk at all." Santana said.

"I figured as much." Rachel said, smiling into the kiss that the Latina not-so-much surprised her with.

Santana woke up the next morning with her arms around Rachel. Never in a million years would she have thought that she would perfectly okay spending a night simply cuddling. Yet here she was, doing that very thing. She looked down at Rachel. That girl had forever changed her, and for the better. "God, I love you," she whispered, hoping not to wake up the sleeping girl. She wanted to be able to watch Rachel sleep for a while. Rachel stirred. Santana held her breath, only to let it out when she realized the girl was not waking up. She smiled to herself. Yea. Santana may have been whipped, but she was completely okay with it. As long as she was with Rachel, she was going to be all right. After about fifteen minutes, Santana noticed Rachel beginning to wake up. As the girl opened her eyes, Santana smiled. "Hi." She whispered. Rachel smiled.

"Hi. How long have you been watching me?"

"Fifteen minutes. I was trying to put off waking you up until I absolutely had to. But I was about to. We have to get ready for school." Santana said. Rachel groaned.

"Do we have to go?"

"Today's the day Mr. Schue announces the set list for Sectionals. I'm sure you want to find out what songs you will be singing." Rachel nodded.

"Are you going to be okay with me singing a duet with Finn?" Santana nodded.

"I know that I'm the one you love. I guess I'm okay with sharing you for two minutes." Rachel smiled.

"Good. Because it wouldn't have made a difference anyhow." She joked. Santana pretended to be hurt.

"That's just rude."

"Whatever. We need to get ready." Rachel grinned and got out of the bed. "Keep acting like a baby and I'll wear what you like to call, a 'pre-Santana' outfit."

"That's not even funny. I thought I told you to burn those." Santana said.

"And when you did I said that if I were to get rid of those clothes, they'd go to a charity or something." Rachel said.

"No person in need would want those clothes. The charity would be fulfilled when they were a pile of ash." Santana replied. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Just go get dressed, Cheerio."

"Yes ma'am." Santana saluted. She proceeded to put on her red Cheerios uniform, straightened her hair (Rachel could never figure out why Santana felt the need to take the time to straighten her hair when she was only going to put in a ponytail, due to Cheerios rules), put her hair up, then applied her makeup, before brushing her teeth. She had just finished putting on her lip-gloss and putting in her earrings when she saw her favorite ring. It was a gift from Rachel and it had her name carved into it. She grabbed it and put it on her right ring finger. Rachel had her own certain (crazy, according to Santana) morning routine (which she had not done today, Santana noticed), but this was hers. Uniform, hair, makeup, teeth, earrings, and ring. She walked out of her bedroom, noticed Rachel had already gone downstairs, and followed. "Rachel?" Santana called out.

"Yea?" was the response she received. She couldn't tell which room it came from.

"Where are you?"

"What? You can't even go five minutes without being around me?" Rachel teased, coming in from the kitchen. Santana narrowed her eyes.

"No, I was just wondering if you needed help reaching the taller shelves." The two girls held defiant glares for a moment, until Santana broke the hold with a grin.

"Haha. Very funny." Rachel said.

"I know." Santana replied. Rachel was still glaring at her, so Santana took that opportunity to kiss her girlfriend. "Morning." She whispered.

"Good morning to you too. But we already said good morning." Rachel said, fighting the urge to smile.

"Yes, but I never got the opportunity to kiss you."

"You could've done that while you were staring at me when I was sleeping." Rachel said.

"I believe its called admiring the beauty in front of me." Santana said. That caused Rachel to give in. She had to smile.

"I couldn't fight it anymore." She said when Santana smirked.

"We need to get going. Are you ready?" Santana asked, grabbing her backpack and her Cheerios bag from the hallway. When she walked to the front door, she noticed that both of Rachel's dads had already left. The two got into Santana's car and drove to school. When they got to school, they went to first period, which was Glee Club; Santana sat down next to Rachel in the front row. Brittany soon came in and sat next to Santana, and Artie rolled in and stopped in the spot next to Brittany soon after that.

"All right guys. Its that time of year again!" Mr. Schue said, walking in. Everyone cheered.

"Mr. Schue, I have typed up a list of songs that I think would be appropriate for me to sing at Sectionals." Rachel said. Everyone, including Santana, looked at her. She could not possibly be serious. "What?" she asked.

"Rach, seriously?" Finn asked.

"What?" she asked again.

"Santana please talk to her." Mercedes said.

"Talk to me about _what_?" Rachel asked, clearly frustrated.

"Sweetie, don't you think that that is a bit _much_?" Santana asked, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Santana, I'm only trying to help the club." Rachel said.

"You're trying to make this the Rachel Berry Show." Quinn said.

"Santana, are you going to let her talk to me like that?" Rachel asked.

"Well, no. I'm not. Q, please let me handle this okay?" Santana looked at the blonde, who nodded. "But Rachel, baby, she has a point. You automatically assumed that you would be getting a solo. What about the rest of us?"

"Why don't you want me to be able to perform?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, listen to yourself. Besides, no one said you weren't going to perform. We just don't like that you assumed it would be all about you and Finn with the rest of us in the background." Santana said.

"Guys, if I could interrupt." Mr. Schue said. Santana nodded, thankful for the distraction. "Rachel, you actually will _not _be getting a solo for this competition. Sam and Quinn, our duets competition winners, will be performing our ballad, and I was thinking that Santana would perform the solo." Mr. Schue said. Santana beamed, only to have her mood dimmed when she looked at Rachel.

"Sam, Quinn, _and_ Santana? You want them to perform at Sectionals instead of me? Mr. Schuester, are you trying to _throw_ Sectionals?"

"Really, Rachel?" Quinn asked. "Santana, I know you asked me to let you handle it, but come on. I mean she just insulted _you_."

"I know Q." was all Santana said.

"San, that's not what I meant." The bell rang. Everyone got up. "Santana, please don't be mad at me." Rachel said, trying to reach out to Santana, who pulled away.

"Rachel, right now I just need to cool off. If I don't , then I'll say something that I really regret." Santana said, before walking out of the choir room.

"San." Rachel said. Later that day, during Study Hall, Rachel looked all over for Santana. During lunch, the Cheerio had chosen to sit at the popular table, completely ignoring Rachel when she walked by her table. While this was normal, as they had been hiding their relationship for sometime, what was _abnormal_ was that Santana didn't even cast a look in her direction. Rachel could tell that Santana was using all of her will power to not look at Rachel. Throughout the day, Rachel had tried to text Santana. She knew that her Latina was receiving these messages, because she saw Santana check her phone in English after Rachel had sent one. She eventually located the girl in question in the library. "Hi." She whispered when she reached the table Santana was seated at. Santana looked up, but said nothing. "San, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it the way that it came out. I was just upset." Rachel said.

"Berry, you practically said…well actually you didn't practically say it, you flat out said that my singing at Sectionals would cause us to lose. How do you think that made me feel?" Santana said, feeling bad when she saw Rachel wince at hearing her last name come out of her girlfriend's mouth.

"Santana, I am so sorry. I know that it came out wrong. I thought about what you guys were saying and you were all right. I was acting selfish. You deserve to be singing. You have an amazing voice. And the song you are going to sing is perfect for you." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel, we don't even know what songs we're singing. We never got the chance to talk about that."

"Right…well whatever song we choose will sound amazing when you sing it." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"Come here, Rach." She said, opening her arms and standing up. Rachel willingly went into the hug. "Do you want to know what I hate about you?"

"Do I really want to hear this?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you do."

"Okay, then. What do you really hate about me?" She tentatively asked.

"That even when I desperately want to, you make it impossible to stay mad at you." Santana said.

"I really am sorry, Santana." Rachel said.

"I know you are. And you do need to apologize to Sam and Quinn too." Santana said.

"That was my next task. You were more important though." Rachel said.

"That's reassuring. By the way, party at Puckerman's tonight. Be my date?" Santana asked.

"There is no way that I would be anyone else's." Rachel smiled. "So are we good Santana?"

"Yeah, Rach. We're good." Santana smiled. "I love you baby girl Even when you irritate me beyond belief, I do love you."

"Um, thank you? I think." Rachel said. Santana laughed at the look on her girlfriend's face, earning the smile that she loved so much. "I love you too, San." Rachel said, smiling as the Latina kissed her. "Do you know what I hate about you?"

"What do you hate about me? And notice how I wasn't afraid to ask." Santana smirked.

"Whatever. Anyway, I hate whenever you get mad at me. It makes me sad to know that I have hurt you." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you don't have to suck up to me. I already forgave you."

"Santana."

"Sorry, baby girl."

"Know what I love about you?"

"What, Rach?" Santana asked.

"That you call me out on my crap." Rachel said.

"Someone has to. Know what I love about you?" Santana asked.

"What?"

"Everything." Santana replied. Rachel smiled.

"Awww…San. That's so sweet."

"I know." Santana smirked, before kissing her girlfriend again. If it weren't for the fact that they were in the library, it would have lasted longer than it did.

"You're the one for me, Rachel. You know that?" Santana asked.

"Santana, you've never said that to me before. You've told me that you love me, but you've never said that I am the one for you. I like it." Rachel smiled. "You're the one for me, too. There's no one else. Not Finn. Not Puck. Certainly not Jesse. There is only you."

"There could never be anyone else for me, even if you have turned me soft." Santana said.

"I haven't turned you soft. I simply brought your sweet side to the surface. It was always there." Rachel replied, laughing. "Who would have thought that I, Rachel Berry, would have landed the ex-head cheerleader?"

"No one, babe." Santana laughed Rachel hit her. "Hey, you asked the question, I just answered." That night, Rachel and Santana were getting ready for the party in their respective rooms. Santana reapplied her makeup and jewelry, straightened her hair, leaving it down, and put on her favorite pair of jeans, her favorite black and neon blue shirt, and her favorite black and neon blue tennis shoes. She grabbed her favorite leather jacket and put it on. Looking in the mirror, the only thought in her head at the moment was, _I look insanely good_. She didn't even care how conceited it sounded.

Down the hall, Rachel had just finished straightening her hair (pulling what she liked to call a _"Santana,"_ by putting her hair up into a ponytail after straightening it), putting on her jewelry and doing her makeup and was putting on her favorite jeans and black and red shirt. She then grabbed her favorite pair of black and red tennis shoes that Santana had bought her. She looked in the mirror. Before she could even form a thought her door opened and she turned around, smiling when she saw her girlfriend enter the room. "Are you ready to go yet, beautiful?" Santana asked. She came to a dead stop when she saw Rachel, her mouth completely agape.

"What?" Rachel asked, suddenly feeling extremely insecure. "Do I look fat or something?"

"No. Not a chance. You could never look fat, Rachel. You could never _be _fat. You look…" Santana trailed off as she walked across the room towards Rachel.

"_What_?" Rachel asked, turning towards her full-length mirror. Santana came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"You look absolutely amazing. You are so incredibly beautiful, Rachel. You look perfect. You _are_ perfect, Rach. Seriously. In every single way." Santana said, kissing Rachel's neck.

"Suck up." Rachel smiled.

"What? I can't think of any part of you that isn't perfect. How can you not what I see every single time I look at you?" Santana asked.

"I do see it. I see it whenever I look at you. How can _you_ not see what _I _see?" Rachel asked.

"Because you love me. Of course you're going to think I look hot all the time. But what _you_ see is not what _Coach Sylvester_ sees. And she decides the pyramid order. I'm trying to _leave _the bottom of they pyramid, you know."

"Santana, you can't seriously take what that woman says to heart. She's crazy. She spent all of sophomore year trying to destroy Glee Club. She even tried to arrange for us to lose Sectionals." Rachel said.

"I know but…she's a good cheerleading coach, even if her methods are insane. You have to be good to have won six straight national championships."

Rachel gave up. "Hey, can you help me put this on?" she handed Santana a necklace. Santana looked at it. It was a gold star with an engraving on the back. She smiled.

"I remember when I gave this to you." Santana said.

"So do I." Rachel smiled. "It was at the homecoming dance."

"Yeah. That was fun. We got to sort of hang around each other, because the Glee Club hug out together the entire night." Santana said

"Yeah. And you managed to pull me aside at least seven times." Rachel laughed.

"Get your facts right, Berry. It was twelve. Not counting when we snuck off before the game, five times during the first half, before the half-time show, after the half-time show, six times during the second half, and after the game the night before." Santana said.

"Twelve times? Really, Santana? Twelve times. Well, actually, it was more like twenty-two." Rachel said, knowing exactly how many times it had been.

"Hey, it was a long game and a four hour dance. I needed me some Rachel Berry time and Finn was hogging you at the dance." Santana said.

"How weird, my date wanting to spend time with me." Rachel teased. "So you needed some, as you said, _'Rachel Berry time.'_ You needed it three times an hour? And we wonder how Finn caught on to us."

"Okay, so it wasn't my brightest idea, but you cannot seriously be complaining." Santana said.

"I never said that." Rachel said. "I needed some _'Santana'_ time too."

"That's what I thought." Santana smiled.

"But _you_ were the one who pulled _me_ away." Rachel continued.

"Girl, you know that if I hadn't, you would've." Santana countered.

"Maybe so. But you did and I didn't. So there." Rachel said.

"So there? What are you, five?" Santana teased.

"You're totally ruining the moment, Santana."

"Sorry, Rach. But seriously, so there? Who even says that anymore?"

"Can we get back to our sweet moment?"

_FLASHBACK_

_It was the homecoming dance. The homecoming game had come and gone like every year, except that this year the team actually won the homecoming game. Not that Rachel had watched a lot of the game. She spent most of the game watching Santana cheering on the sidelines. Santana would occasionally, well more than occasionally, look over at Rachel. Rachel couldn't be positive, but she was pretty sure that whenever Santana was looking at her, Santana's smile was even bigger than it normally was. Rachel knew that hers was. She was telling Rachel with her eyes that she was really cheering at her, not everyone else in the stands. The two had been dating for about a week and a half. Earlier that day, Santana had been at Rachel's house. She had been extremely excited that she could actually look at Rachel in public and be allowed to smile without the two of them risking getting caught, even if it was only for one night. Occasionally, Rachel would have to cheer for Finn, since technically she was still dating him, but for the most part her eyes never left Santana. Whenever Santana saw her girlfriend cheer for Finn, her smile faltered a bit, even though she knew it was an act. Anyway, the dance would actually be a chance to be celebrating something, and not just a chance to get drunk and hook up. Rachel had gone with Finn, which seemed to upset Santana, even though she knew that that was how it was going to be. The entire Glee Club went to dinner together. The couples there were Mercedes and Kurt (as friends), Sam and Santana (as friends), Puck and Quinn, Tina and Mike, Brittany and Artie, and, much to Santana's dismay, Rachel and Finn. As Santana reached in her purse to pay for dinner, although Sam stopped her when he saw what she was doing, she saw the box that she had put in there before she had left her house that night. She smiled to herself and thought of ways to get her diva alone at the dance. When they all got to the dance, Santana gave Finn a reasonable amount of time with Rachel. Okay so she gave him all of fifteen minutes before she told him some lie to get him away from her. She waited until Finn was gone then leaned into Rachel._

_"You know, Rachel, they say red is the sexiest color." Santana said, eyeing Rachel's red dress. "And I am definitely agreeing with that statement right now." __Rachel shivered at Santana's breath on her neck. _

_"San, not out here." She said, fighting the smile that was threatening to emerge on her face._

"_I'm sorry. But I need to talk to you though, Rach. I want some alone time." Santana grinned. __Rachel looked around and nodded. Santana smiled and walked with Rachel to the hallway. The pair went to a deserted corner. When they were sure they were alone, Santana said, "I wish we could just leave right now."_

"_San, the dance just started. I think that would be just a little bit suspicious." Rachel said._

"_Crap. This sucks that we can't even spend homecoming together." Santana said._

"_I know, sweetie." Rachel pulled Santana into a hug, which the taller girl willingly fell into. "Baby what's wrong?" Rachel asked._

"_I want to spend time with you outside of our houses. I hate that we can't." Santana said._

"_How about you and I take a trip to one of the towns close to Lima? We can get away, have an actual date, at an actual restaurant." Rachel said. __Santana looked hopeful. _

_"Can we find a Breadstix?" _

"_If that's what you want, then yes. We can find a Breadstix. But please, don't bring a wheelbarrow." Rachel said, causing Santana to laugh as both remembered their first date. They were going to pretend, if someone had caught them, that Santana's parents had forced her to take Rachel to dinner as an apology for the way she had treated Rachel. Santana brought a wheelbarrow to fill up and ended up getting the manager fired. Rachel still felt terrible. Santana kissed Rachel. Smiling into the kiss, Rachel hated to pull away. When she did, Santana opened her purse and pulled out the box._

"_What's that?" Rachel asked. __Santana handed it to her. _

_"Open it." __Rachel opened the box and gasped. _

_"San." In the box was a necklace with a gold star pendant._

"_Do you like it?" Santana asked, watching Rachel's every reaction._

"_I love it. It's gorgeous. Thank you." Rachel smiled._

"_You're welcome, baby girl. Turn it over." Santana smiled. __Rachel was confused. _

_"Okay…" She turned it over. "Its engraved." __Not wanting to ruin the moment, Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes. _

_"Read it, Rach."_

"_Oh. Right. Ok. 'Rachel, Always remember that you are my star. –S.' Oh my god. Santana, that's so sweet." _

"_Thank you. I was really hesitant about putting the S. I had initially wanted to put my whole name on there, but it was too risky." Santana said._

"_Do you really mean it?" Rachel asked._

"_Do I really mean what?" Santana asked._

"_That I'm your star." Rachel clarified._

"_Oh that. Well, yeah Rachel. Of course I do. You're my star. And whenever you wear that, which I hope you will frequently do," she gestured toward the necklace. "I want you to…well I hope that you'll… think of me." __Rachel had never seen Santana so nervous before. _

_"Of course I will. I wish that I could put it on right now, but…"_

"_I totally understand. I just wanted to give it to you." Santana nodded._

"_I'm sorry." Rachel said._

"_Don't be. It's fine, Rach." Santana smiled. Rachel looked around before she kissed Santana. This time, it was Santana who pulled away. _"_You look beautiful, by the way." Santana said._

_"So do you, San." Rachel replied, smiling. Santana returned the smile._

_END FLASHBACK_

"That was the moment I fell in love with you." the two girls said in unison.

"Really? Why did you take so long to tell me?" Santana said.

"I could say the same thing to you." Rachel said.

"Hey, at least I told you first." Santana countered.

"Will you just put the necklace on?" Rachel requested.

"Sure." Santana smiled and told Rachel to move her ponytail out of the way. _"'Always remember-"_

_"- That you are my star."_ Rachel finished with her. Santana smiled at her through the mirror as she kissed Rachel's neck again.

"I love you Santana." Rachel said, leaning back into the girl behind her.

"I love you too _mi estrella_." Santana replied.

"We should probably get going, huh?" Rachel said.

"You know, we don't _have_ to go to the party." Santana said, grinning evilly.

"We're going, Santana."

"You want our first date as an out couple to be at a Noah Puckerman party?" Santana asked.

"Yes. I do. Now can we please go?" Rachel said, pushing Santana out of her bedroom door. When they got there, Santana and Rachel sat down on a couch. Soon Puck was over with them, handing them each a drink.

"Puck that's not a good idea." Santana said as he handed Rachel a drink. She knew from experience that Rachel was a lightweight and it didn't take much for her to get drunk.

"Lighten up Lopez." Puck said. Rachel smiled at her and took a sip. After about half a cup, Santana could already see her eyes start to gloss over.

"This is not going to end well." Santana muttered. "Baby, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Rachel replied. Santana could tell she was all _but_ fine.

"Oh my god." Rachel suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" Santana asked.

"Everywhere I turn, someone is congratulating Quinn or Sam on performing at Sectionals. So Ken and Barbie get to sing at Sectionals. This doesn't make them better than me." Rachel said.

"Rachel, not this again." Santana could tell this was all thanks to the alcohol.

"Santana, quit rubbing it in my face that you get to sing a solo and I don't." Rachel said.

"Okay, I'm just going to blame this little outburst on the alcohol since I know that you'd never talk to me like that if you knew what was good for you." Santana said.

"What are you going to? Get mad at me and then storm off?" Rachel said.

"No, because that's what you do. But keep talking and girlfriend or not, I just might slap you." Santana said.

"Are you drunk?" Rachel asked.

"No, I actually haven't taken a sip. Someone has to drive us home tonight and it clearly won't be you considering you've had half a beer and you're completely trashed." Santana responded. She stood up and walked away.

"Whatever." Rachel mumbled. She smiled as Marshall Andrews, a football player in her Chemistry class, sat down next to her.

"Hey Rachel. I couldn't help but overhear your argument with Santana." Marshall said.

"Yeah, she's just being a baby." Rachel said.

"You know what would make her really freak out?" Marshall asked.

"What?" Marshall leaned over and whispered something in her ear.

"Marshall, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't really want to." Rachel said.

"Come on. It'll be fine." He said, pulling her with him as he left the room. Santana, who had been talking to Brittany and Quinn, turned around to make sure Rachel was still conscious.

"Wait…where'd she go?" Santana asked.

"I have no idea." Quinn said. Brittany shrugged.

"Crap."

"Santana, Rachel's capable of walking around a house by herself." Quinn said.

"Not when she's wasted." Santana said. "When she's trashed, Artie could walk better than she could. No offense, Britt."

"How much has she had to drink?"

"About half a beer, but she's an extreme lightweight." Santana explained.

"We'll help you find her." Quinn said. The three looked all around the house for Rachel. They finally stopped at the last room in the house, Puck's room. Santana opened the door, only to find Marshall on top of Rachel. Santana's eyes widened.

"Rachel? What are you doing?" Santana exclaimed

"Santana. I promise it isn't what it looks like." Rachel said.

"Get off of her Marshall." Santana said.

"No way. She said she wanted this." He said.

"Rach?" Santana asked.

"No I didn't. I said I _didn't_ want to." Rachel said, crying

"Come on, Lopez. She is trashed. She does not know what she said." Marshall said.

"Get off of her. Now." Santana said, getting angrier as she saw Rachel trying to push him off.

"Fine. Whatever." He stood up and a crying Rachel immediately got off of the bed and went over to Santana, who pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Are you okay?" Santana whispered. Rachel shook her head. Marshall began to walk forward and Santana gently pushed Rachel behind her, into Quinn and Brittany, who pulled the girl into a hug at the same time.

"Is there a problem here?" Puck asked, approaching.

"Yea, Puck there is." Santana said. Puck took notice of Rachel crying.

"What did you do to her, Andrews?"

"How do you know it was me? Maybe it was Lopez."

"Santana would never do anything to hurt Rachel. What. Did. You. Do." Puck said.

"He tried to force himself on Rachel." Quinn said to her boyfriend. Puck looked at his girlfriend. Rachel was like his sister.

"I am going to kill you."

"Why? She's not your girlfriend." Marshall said.

"Oh, it would be the same scenario if it'd been Quinn instead of Rachel."

"Puck, don't. You don't need to go back to juvie." Quinn said.

"Noah. Its okay." Rachel quietly spoke up. Puck's face softened when Rachel spoke up.

"Get out of my house." Puck escorted Marshall to the door.

"We'll leave you guys alone." Brittany said. When Brittany and Quinn had left, Santana closed the door.

"Sweetie, what happened?" she asked. Rachel shrugged.

"We fought and then you left. Marshall came over and said he knew a way to really make you mad. I told him that I didn't want to and then he pulled me in here. Next thing I know, he was all over me, kissing me. Then you walked in. I promise Santana. That's all that happened." Santana nodded.

"I believe you. I'm sorry that I could not have stopped him. I shouldn't have left you when you were so drunk."

"Its not your fault, Santana." Rachel said.

"Are you sure?" Santana said.

"Yes. Santana?"

"Yes?"

"Can we please go home now?" Rachel asked.

"Of course we can baby." Santana made sure Marshall was gone, then drove Rachel home. When they were in the car, Rachel spoke.

"Maybe we shouldn't have had our first date as an out couple at a Noah Puckerman party." Santana looked over at her girlfriend, eyebrow raised, and smirked.

"Where did you hear that amazing idea from?"

"Oh shut up and drive."

"Fine. But do _not _throw up in my car. Or there will be a problem." Santana said. Santana took Rachel home and laid her down on her bed. She put a trashcan by the bed and went and got a bottle of water and aspirin from the kitchen. "Thank God that the Berry's chose this weekend to go on a weekend trip. They would definitely kick me out in a heartbeat if the saw that I let their daughter get drunk." Santana said to herself. As she approached up the stairs, she heard Rachel throwing up.

"Santana!" Rachel called. Santana ran up the stairs and down the hall. As she reached Rachel's door, she heard more throwing up. Cautiously, she opened the door. Rachel looked absolutely pathetic. What disturbed Santana was that even when Rachel was drunk and throwing up, Santana found her to be beautiful. The fact that she thought Rachel was beautiful didn't freak her out. It was just that the fact that she thought it when Rachel was puking her guts out.

"Poor baby." Santana said. She went into Rachel's bathroom and got a wet washcloth and cleaned off Rachel's face. "Do you need anything?"

"Tell me I still look good." Rachel requested.

"You look beautiful." Santana truthfully said.

"Thank you for lying to me." Rachel said.

"Rach, I'm not lying. I always think that you look beautiful." Santana said.

"Even when I'm throwing up?"

"Even when you're throwing up."

"Now I know why I don't drink." Rachel said.

"Considering you don't even have an entire beer in your system, yea. Drinking isn't for you." Santana agreed.

"I'm proud of you though." Rachel said.

"Why?"

"You didn't have anything to drink."

"I needed to be able to get you home, Rach. Thank God I was sober when I found you. Who knows how I could've reacted if I'd been drunk." Santana said.

"Thank you for finding me when you did. I was so scared." Rachel said. Santana thought she was starting to sober up a little bit.

"What did he try to do, Rachel?" Santana gently asked.

"Honestly?" Rachel said.

"I'd prefer it, yes." Santana said.

"Well, honestly I think he wanted to sleep with me. But I didn't want to. He pulled me into the room and started kissing me. I tried to push him away, but he's bigger than me. He pushed me down on the bed and wouldn't get off." Rachel replied.

"I'll kill him." Santana said.

"San, he didn't do anything."

"But he tried, Rach. He tried." Santana said. "And that's all that matters." They heard the doorbell ring. Rachel groaned. "Take the aspirin. I'll go see who it is." Santana walked downstairs and opened the front door. "Finn? What are you doing here?"

"Puck told me what happened. Are you okay? Is she okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. She's a little freaked out about it. Her main problem is that she's either drunk or in the early stages of a hangover. I can't tell which one it is right now. We were having a coherent conversation, but her eyes are still kind of glossed over." Santana said.

"Do you need anything?" Finn asked.

"I don't think so. Not right now, at least. But I do have a question I've been meaning to ask you." Santana said.

"What's up?"

"How did you find out about me and Rachel?" Santana asked. Finn laughed.

"Seriously, Santana?" Santana's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Santana, you guys mysteriously disappeared at the same time, like twelve times at the homecoming dance. When you guys thought no one was looking you couldn't keep your eyes off each other at dinner, even if the other wasn't looking back. But the final thing that made me figure it out was when Rachel left that night and you suddenly volunteered to give her a ride home."

"Oh yeah. I remember that now." Santana remembered.

"That wasn't exactly your best work ever, San." Finn teased.

"I got her to leave, didn't I?" Santana said.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel walked up to Finn. "Hey Finn, I'm not feeling very well, so I think I am going to head home." __Finn stood up. _

_"Okay, do you want me to take you?"_

"_No, no. I don't want to ruin your night." Rachel rushed._

"_Rachel, you're my date and my girlfriend. Its fine." Finn said._

"_You live in the opposite direction of my house." Rachel continued._

"_I'm not going to let you walk home or hitch a ride with some random drunk person." Finn said._

"_Well, actually…Santana offered to give me a ride." Rachel said._

"_Santana? Santana Lopez?" Finn asked._

"_Yes. We ran into each other in the restroom just now and she said she was about to leave. She lives about three blocks from me and she said that she could give me a ride if I wanted one." Rachel explained. Finn looked up as Santana approached._

"_Are you ready to go, Berry?" Santana asked._

"_This isn't some kind of prank, is it Santana? Because its not funny." Finn said._

"_No, Finnocence. Its not a prank. I'm leaving and if Rachel doesn't feel good then there's no point of her staying here. She lives near me. I'm not going to do anything to your precious girlfriend. Don't worry." Santana said._

"_Fine. But no funny business, Santana. Just take her home so she can rest, okay?" Fin said._

"_That was kind of the plan, Frankenteen."_

_END FLASHBACK_

"The old Santana wouldn't have cared if Rachel didn't feel good. She probably would've laughed and walked away." Finn said.

"I guess you're right." Santana said. "Finn, I really am sorry that we used you like that. We should've at least told you what was going on."

"Santana, its fine. As long as Rachel's happy, I'm happy."

"What about me?" Santana teased.

"Yeah, you too, I guess." Finn said, laughing

"Gee, thanks." Finn turned serious.

"Do you love her, Santana?" Santana nodded.

"Yes. I do. With all my heart." Finn nodded.

"I believe you."

"Thank you." Santana said. Finn hugged Santana.

"Santana!" Rachel yelled. Santana could hear the faint sounds of more throwing up.

"Coming!" she replied. "If you want to stay down here, I'll be right back." Finn nodded.

"Hey, Santana?"

"Yea?" She asked, turning around.

"I'm really sorry about your parents. I really liked them, and I know you loved them." Finn said.

"Yea, I did. Thank you, Finn. They really liked you, too." Santana said, showing a sad smile.

"They were great people and they did a terrific job with you." Finn said. "You're an amazing friend."

"So are you." Santana said.

"Santana!" Rachel called again. Santana rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I'm being summoned. I'll be right back." She turned and ran up the stairs.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"Who's down there?" Rachel asked.

"Finn. He came to check on you. Well, us." Santana said.

"He can't see me like this." Rachel said.

"Trust me babe. _No one_ wants to see you like this." Santana said.

"You said I look beautiful." Rachel exclaimed.

"Yes, to me. But not to everyone else. Right now, when I look at you, I see the girl I'm in love with and want to help. Anyone else who would look at you right now would say _'Oh my god, she's throwing up. Get me out of here.'_ But since I'm in love with you, I'll stay and help you feel better." Santana said, sitting down on Rachel's bed.

"And you live here, so you have nowhere better to go." Rachel said.

"Well yeah, that does help make my decision a bit easier." Santana teased. She kissed Rachel's forehead. Rachel attempted to kiss her girlfriend on the lips, but Santana pulled away. "Maybe after you finish throwing up and brush your teeth about ten times." Santana said.

"I would've let you kiss me." Rachel mumbled.

"No you would'nt have. You probably would've required me to brush my teeth twenty or thirty times." Santana replied. There was a knock at Rachel's bedroom door.

"Rach? Santana?" they heard Finn's voice through the door.

"You said he wouldn't come up here!" Rachel said.

"Actually no I didn't. _You_ said that he couldn't see you like this. And can he see you right now? No, he can't." She opened the door wide enough for Finn to be able to see the entire room. "Hey, Finn."

"Santana!"

"Rachel, you're buried under three blankets and a comforter. I think you're safe." Santana said. Finn laughed.

"Don't laugh at me Finn Hudson." Rachel's muffled voice said through the blankets.

"I would never laugh at you, Rachel." Finn said, smiling at Santana. Santana busted out laughing.

"You either, Santana Lopez." Santana rolled her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me either!" Santana and Finn raised their eyebrows.

"Okay, how could you possibly know that that happened?" Santana asked.

"Because I know you. I know you rolled your eyes at me when you were downstairs too." Rachel explained.

"Okay that's extremely creepy. Go back to sleep." Santana said, smiling lovingly at the lump under all the blankets. "What's up, Finn?" Still smiling, he answered.

"I'm going to get going. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"Yea, we are good for right now." Santana replied.

"Cool. Just call me if you do end up needing something, all right?" He said.

"Definitely. You'll be my first call." Santana said.

"Good. Take care of her. Make sure she drinks a lot of water." Finn said.

"Okay, Mom. Anything else?" Santana teased. Finn playfully thought. "I think I know how to treat a hangover. If memory serves me correct, I once had to help you, Puck, Britt, and Quinn all through a hangover while I was hung over too." Santana said.

"Oh yeah. I vaguely remember that day." Finn said. "Bye San."

"Bye." Santana laughed.

"Bye Rachel." He called out. He received a grunt in response. Throughout the rest of the night, Santana checked in on Rachel. Well, it was not really checking in on her, since Santana never left the room. The shorter girl was slowly recovering and by the middle of the next day, she was feeling completely better.

"Yeah, I'm never drinking again." Rachel said as her and Santana cleaned up her room.

"That sounds like a good idea. You and alcohol are not very good friends, Rach. You never have been and you most likely never will be either." Santana laughed.

"Why do Puckerman's parties always end in disasters?" Rachel said.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"At least they do for us, anyway." Rachel said.

"Like when?" Santana said.

"You don't remember?" Rachel asked.

Santana shook her head. "Obviously not, Rach."

"Well you were so drunk that night, so I guess it doesn't surprise me that you do not remember." Rachel said.

"How about you go ahead and tell me your story." Santana said.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel was sitting on Puck's back porch when Santana came out of the house. _

"_Rachel!" Santana drunkenly slurred. "I am so happy to see you, baby." _

_Rachel looked around to make sure they were alone. "Hi, sweetie. How much have you had to drink?"_

"_Not that much." Santana was practically in Rachel's lap._

"_Santana I left you fifteen minutes ago and you weren't nearly this drunk. In fact you had only had half a beer. What did you do after I came out here?" Rachel asked, running one of her hands through Santana's hair while using her other one to make sure the other girl did not fall off the stairs._

"_Well, Puck challenged me to a game of beer pong. You know that I can't and won't back down from a challenge." Santana slurred._

"_Do I even need to ask who won?" Rachel asked her girlfriend._

"_No, but it would make me feel better if you did." Santana smiled up at Rachel._

"_Let me guess. You won?" Rachel asked._

"_Uh, yeah. Duh. God, you look so hot right now." Santana said, running one of her hands up and down Rachel's arm. She kissed Rachel, pushing her up against the post for the handrail on the stairs of Puck's porch. The taller girl continued to deepen the kiss and while Rachel wasn't fighting it, she knew how many people were at the party._

"_Santana." Rachel said._

"_What?" Santana said, not letting go of Rachel._

"_San, come on." Rachel attempted to push Santana off of her._

"_But, I love you Rachel." Santana said, sitting up. "Too fast. Way too fast."_

_Before Rachel could reply, they were interrupted. "How drunk are you Lopez?" one of the other jocks asked._

"_Uh…I'm not sure. Pretty drunk, I guess. Why do you ask?" Santana asked._

"_You just told the captain of the Geek Club that you love her."_

_Santana looked at Rachel, who quickly covered. "She's completely wasted. She has no idea what she's saying or what she's doing right now."_

"_Clearly." The jock said, walking away._

"_Why did you do that?" Santana asked._

"_Because letting you tell the truth in would have defeated the purpose of keeping us a secret Santana." Rachel explained._

"_That is….really smart. Like, extremely smart. Did you know that you were smart, Rachel?" Santana asked._

"_I had a hunch. I think I would appreciate that comment more if you were sober. Do you want to go ahead and get going?" Rachel asked._

_Santana started to nod her head, but quickly stopped. "But what if Puck wants to play another game of beer pong?" Santana asked, suddenly looking worried._

"_Then he'llmost likely be looking to actually win at the game, which he won't be able to do if he is playing against you." Rachel reasoned._

_Santana slowly nodded. "Maybe you're right." She fell down into Rachel's lap._

"_Yea, let's get you home." Rachel said._

"_Can I spend the night at your house? Please, please, please, please, pretty please, Rachel?" Santana asked._

"_I think you should. My dads are out of town and your parents are not going to like the fact that you are drunk." Rachel replied._

_Santana nodded. The two walked to Rachel's car, with Rachel having to assist Santana sometimes. They were almost to the car when the same jock stopped them. "Lopez, are you so drunk you are going home with Berry?"_

_Rachel sighed. "This is not going to be good. Not at all."._

_Santana yelled back. "Shut up, Rich! I'm in love with her!"_

_The jocks just laughed. "Wow, Berry. How much did you pay her to say that?"_

"_Shut up!" Santana yelled._

"_Santana, ignore them. Please get in the car, okay?" Rachel said._

"_But they have to know I love you." Santana protested._

"_I know that you do." _

"_Rachel…"_

"_Now, Santana."_

"_Rich, you better shut up before I beat the crap out of you, got it?" Santana threatened._

"_Whatever, Lopez. Have fun with Berry." _

"_I plan on it!"_

"_Santana!" Rachel hissed. "Get in the car already." _

"_Okay."_

_END FLASHBACK_

"I drunkenly outed us? And you're still with me?" Santana questioned.

"Apparently I was the only sober person at that party, because no one said anything to me or you on Monday. I just kind of let it go since no one could remember it." Rachel explained.

"I can't believe that I did that. When was that?" Santana asked.

"During Thanksgiving Break. Right after we told each other that we love each other for the first time." Rachel said. Santana smiled as she often did when she thought of that day. In fact, she smiled whenever she thought of her and Rachel together or just Rachel in general. "You know, I love your smile." Rachel commented.

"Rachel, you don't have to flatter me. You already have me." Santana teased.

"Santana, I'm allowed to compliment you whenever I wish to. You compliment me all the time." Rachel said.

"That's to remind you that no one else could ever love you as much as I do. Just in case you ever think of leaving me." Santana said.

"I think there's a greater chance of you leaving me for someone else than there is of me leaving you." Rachel said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Santana said.

"I mean you could easily get someone else. I couldn't. Every other person I have dated either used me or I used them."

"Explain." Santana said.

"Puck was only dating me because I'm Jewish and his mom wanted him to date a Jewish girl. I had to wait an entire semester to get Finn to like me, and then broke up with him for Jesse, only to begin using him the next school year. And we all know what Jesse did. He used me to put us into a funk before Regionals."

"I thought your mom used him to get you to look for her." Santana said.

"And when I found her, she left me again. Thus, putting me into another funk." Rachel said. "Plus, the boy egged me."

"True."

"Anyway, you're Santana Lopez." Rachel said.

"And you're Rachel Berry. I'm aware of my surroundings, Captain Obvious. " Santana teased.

"What I mean is, you could walk into school and easily get someone new." Rachel said.

"You're completely right Rachel. I could just walk into school and get somebody else." Santana said.

"See what I mean? You could have anybody you want in that school."

"What do you think I have?"

"Huh?"

"I don't want anyone else, because I have all that I want and more right here. With you. What I'm afraid of is you realizing that you're too good for me and that you deserve more than someone who devoted most of her life to making yours miserable." Santana said.

"Sweetie, when are you going to stop thinking that? Its not going to happen. I'm not going to break up with you."

"Technically you did, last week." Santana said.

"For ten minutes. That doesn't count and you know it. Besides even if we do for some reason break up, I'll still be here for you. I'll still care about you and I'll still be your friend." Rachel said.

"So what you're saying is, there's a chance we will break up?" Santana teased.

"Santana."

"I'm sorry baby. I'm just messing around. And just so you know, even though I don't plan on us breaking up, I'd be there for you too if we did." Santana said.

"I know you would. That's why I love you."

"I thought you loved me for my insane hotness." Santana said.

"That helps." Rachel laughed and started to clean the room again. Santana stood there for a moment, watching her.

Rachel turned around. "What?"

"I really do love you, Rach." Santana said.

"I know you do. I love you too." Rachel replied.

Santana walked over and put her arms around Rachel's waist, who then put her arms around Santana's neck.

"You're kind of awesome, you know that?" Santana whispered.

"Yeah…" Rachel replied.

"And I kind of like you, you know that?" Santana whispered again.

"I kind of thought so." Rachel said. Santana leaned down to kiss Rachel. The two stayed like that for about two minutes. "You're pretty cool, yourself." Rachel said.

"Yeah, I know." Santana said, smiling. '_God, I love this girl._' both girls thought, as they so frequently did. That Monday at school, Rachel looked around the front entrance cautiously, hoping to avoid Marshall. Santana had had to go to early morning Cheerios practice, so she had come to school by herself. As she walked into the building, someone covered her mouth with one hand a pulled her into a closet with another. The door closed and her mouth was quickly uncovered. The closet was still dark so she could not see who she was in there with.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked. She was answered by a set of lips finding their way to hers. Rachel immediately pulled away.

"Chill, Rach. Its me." Santana said. "You'd think that after almost three months of dating, you'd know how it feels to kiss me."

"Santana, as much as I'd love to kiss you, I'd also prefer to talk to your face and not your voice." Rachel said.

"Uh…what?"

"Can you please turn on the light?" Rachel asked.

"Oh. Sorry." Santana blindly reached around for the light until she found the switch. She turned on the light and allowed Rachel to adjust from the dark. "Better?"

"Much. Now can you please tell me why you had to pull me into a closet?" Rachel asked.

"This isn't just any closet, Rachel." Santana said.

"Is it my murder sight too?" Rachel teased.

"_No_." Santana moved walked to the other side of the closet and sat down. "Does any of this look familiar?"

"Oh my god." Rachel said, a smile growing on her face. "This is the closet that I locked us into."

Santana nodded. "This is where we first got together. And just so you know, we'vebeen dating for exactly three months now."

Rachel quickly did the math in her head. "You're right."

Santana motioned for the other girl to sit next to her. "Happy anniversary."

Rachel sat down next to Santana. "Happy anniversary." Santana looked down at the girl next to her. Slowly, she leaned down. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Rachel leaning up with her eyes closed. Next thing she knew, they were kissing. Although this kiss was in the exact same spot as their first, this one lasted longer. Santana pulled away first. Rachel's eyes were still closed.

"What are you thinking about?" Santana asked.

Rachel's eyes opened. "Wha…what?"

Santana smiled and rolled her eyes. "What's on your mind, Berry?"

Rachel smiled, remembering how Santana asked her that the first time they had been locked in the closet. "You."

"Good answer." Santana said before kissing her again. "Wait…you didn't lock us in here again did you?" she asked.

"Santana, I didn't know who pulled me in here, I wasn't about to lock myself into a closet with some random person." Rachel replied.

"Good point. But we need to get to Glee Club. We have songs to choose and _you_ have apologies to make. I know Quinn helped you out at the party, but you still owe her and Sam an apology." Santana said.

"Yea, I know. I also need to thank Noah and Finn. And Brittany and Quinn too." The two left the closet and walked to the choir room.

"Okay guys. Can we try to make our set list again?" Mr. Schue said. Rachel's hand shot up. Everyone attempted to suppress a groan, but some were not successful. Santana shot a glare around the room.

"Yes Rachel?" the teacher tentatively asked.

"Mr. Schue, I have an announcement I'd like to make." The diva said.

"Rachel, you are still not getting a solo for this competition." The teacher said.

"I know Mr. Schue. Can I please say what I have to say?" Rachel asked.

"Sure."

Rachel walked to the front of the room. "First, I would like to apologize to Sam and Quinn. I was out of line last Friday and I was very rude. I know you guys are going to do great at Sectionals and I am really happy for you guys."

"Thanks Rachel." Sam and Quinn said.

"What about Santana?" Kurt said.

"What _about_ Santana?" Santana asked.

"I have already apologized to my girlfriend Kurt." Rachel said. "Anyway, I'd also like to thank Puck, Brittany, Quinn, and Santana for helping me at the party last Friday. And Finn for coming to make sure I was okay afterward." The four nodded their heads in appreciation.

"Wait, what happened at the party?" Mercedes asked.

Puck, Quinn, Brittany, and Finn looked at Santana, who looked at Rachel. "If you want them to know tell them." She said. Rachel nodded and walked over and closed the door.

"On Friday at Puck's party, Marshall Andrews tried to…." Rachel trailed off, looking to Santana for help.

"He basically tried to sleep with Rachel after her and I got into a small argument. Britt, Q, and I were looking for Rachel and found her in Puck's room, crying, with him all over her. He then tried to play it off as if Rachel wanted it, but I knew she didn't. We finally convinced him to get off of her and she immediately ran to me, which is how I knew she didn't want to be there. Puck came in and immediately kicked him out. I took her home and later Finn came over to make sure we were both all right." Santana continued.

Everyone who didn't know gasped. "Oh my god. Rachel, are you all right?" Mercedes asked.

Rachel nodded. Mr. Schue looked angry. "Rachel have you reported this?"

"It would be pointless, Mr. Schue. He didn't actually sleep with me and…" Rachel trailed off not wanting to finish.

"And…?"

"And I was drunk, so he could play that card." Rachel said.

"How much did you have to drink?" the teacher asked.

"Half a beer." She replied. The teacher looked at Santana.

"Extreme lightweight." She explained.

"Ah. I'm not condoning you drinking, or any of you drinking, but since you had at least one sober witness, it can withstand. And you," he said to Puck, "could get in serious trouble. Any of you that were there could get in serious trouble."

"Another reason why I don't want to report it. I'dget in just as much trouble, Noah would go back to juvie, and Principal Figgins would probably cancel the club. Its just not worth it, Mr. Schue." Rachel said.

"If that's what you want to do, Rachel. But I don't want to hear about any of you drinking again. You are all underage." The teacher said. They all nodded in agreement and Rachel sat down. "Okay, let's start talking about songs. What about the ballad?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"What about _(I've Had) The Time of My Life_? Its a great ballad and I think that Sam and Quinn would sound great singing it." Rachel said.

"That's a great idea, Rachel. Sam, Quinn, what do you think?" Mr. Schue asked.

Both nodded. "I like it." Quinn said.

Mr. Schue sighed. "Puck please quit glaring at Sam."

Quinn looked over and noticed her boyfriend glaring at her duet partner. "Puck its just a song."

"But why do you have to sing it with him? He's totally into you. How come you can't sing it with Artie? Or better yet, me?"

"Because _Sam_ was my duet partner for the competition." Quinn said.

"When did we even have this duets competition?" Puck asked.

"When you were in juvie." Mike said.

"Oh." Was all Puck said.

"Dude, I'm not into Quinn like that anymore. I respect that you are with her. But if it makes you feel better, I'll withdraw from the duet." Sam said.

"Sam that won't be necessary." Mr. Schue said.

"Actually…" Puck said.

"Puck!" Quinn said, hitting him.

"OW! I mean its fine dude. You can sing the song with her." Puck said.

Sam nodded. Mr. Schue spoke up. "Anyway, what about Santana's solo?" When he said that, Rachel beamed at her girlfriend.

"Well, what's your favorite song, Santana?" Tina asked.

Santana grinned evilly. "_BedRock_." She said. Most of the club laughed. Rachel looked horrified and Mr. Schue looked uncomfortable.

"Uh…no." he said, causing more laughter.

"Seriously though, I'm a huge fan of the song _Valerie_." Santana said.

Mr. Schue nodded. "That is a great choice for you, Santana." He said, writing it down. "So now we have our set list. Mike, Brittany, let's get started on choreographing your dance solo. I think we are going to put it during _Valerie_." While the three were working on that everyone started looking at the sheet music Mr. Schue had passed out right before.

"San, I am so happy for you." Rachel whispered.

"Thanks, babe. I'm so proud of you for doing what you did up there. And even contributing. Even I didn't expect _that_." Santana said.

"You weren't actually serious when you suggested _BedRock_, were you?" Rachel asked.

"Of course I was." Santana smirked. "Its the song that plays in my head whenever you're around."

"Santana!"

"Relax, I'm just kidding. Of course I wasn't serious. We'd get disqualified as soon as the judges saw our set list. We wouldn't even make it to the stage." Santana said.

Rachel smiled. "We should probably get to work."

The two looked at the sheet music for _Valerie_. Santana already knew all of the words, so she did not have to memorize them. Soon, Mr. Schue called Santana up to the front so that she could learn where to stand while Brittany and Mike were dancing during her song. At one point in the song, Puck was to join the group at the front of the stage, Mike would twirl Brittany to Puck and Puck would simultaneously twirl Santana to Mike. Mike and Santana would dance for about thirty seconds, to give Brittany a breather. Brittany and Puck were to go back and do the group choreography, which wasn't as challenging. Then the group would repeat the twirls to give Santana a chance to catch her breath before singing again. Then they were ready for sectionals. Every single time Santana walked into a competition hall, she got a nervous feeling in her stomach. Not with Cheerios, because she knew that even if they lost (which they would not because Sue Sylvester just _didn't _lose. The word was not in her vocabulary if the subject was the Cheerios. Now, if it was the Glee Club that was an entirely different story), anyway, there would still be Cheerios. But with Glee Club, it was either win or Glee Club was over. Santana did not want to lose Glee Club. Over the past year and a half, it had become a part of her. It meant as much to her as Cheerios did. If it weren't for Glee Club, Santana wouldn't have Rachel. Even she could admit that she never would have talked to Rachel if they hadn't been in Glee Club together. But this time around, there were even more nerves in her. Last year at Sectionals, she had never sung in front of a crowd before, except for their invitational. At Regionals, she had never performed a solo in front of a crowd before, even if she just had a few lines. But this time, she had an entire song to herself, which had never happened before, with the exception of their assignments in Glee Club. That was extremely nerve wrecking. She knew Brittany was also extremely nervous about her dance solo. The only thing that was calming her was some comb that Artie gave her. No one really had the heart to tell her that it did not actually possess any magical powers. Rachel came up beside Santana.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yea. Of course." Santana lied.

"No you aren't. You're nervous." Rachel said.

"I don't get nervous." Santana said.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "If you say so." She walked towards their green room. Santana noticed that the rest of New Directions had already walked in there and quickly followed. They had a little time to kill before they had to change into their costumes. Santana sat down in one of the more comfortable chairs. Rachel quickly sat down on the arm of the chair Santana was occupying. Santana gently pulled the smaller girl into her lap, causing both girls to smile. Suddenly, Jacob Ben Israel came into the room.

"What are you doing in here Jewfro?" Santana asked. Rachel, who was easily creeped out by Jacob as he was constantly hitting on her, leaned closer to Santana as Jacob approached the pair.

"Well, hello Rachel. You're looking extremely lovely today." Jacob said invading Rachel's personal space.

Rachel gave Santana a pleading look. "Back off, Jacob." Santana growled. Jacob ignored her and grabbed Rachel's hand. When she tried to pull it away he tightened his grip.

"Ow. Let go, Jacob." Rachel said. Jacob pulled Rachel to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"Jewfro let go of her. Now." Santana said, standing up. Jacob continued to ignore Rachel and pushed Santana out of the way to sit in the now vacant chair. She stumbled back a good five feet. He pulled Rachel into his lap. Santana had had enough. "That's it." She said.

Santana walked back over to the chair. She grabbed Jacob's hair and pulled his head back. "Listen closely, because I am only going to say this once. I am telling you as nicely as I possibly can. Let go of Rachel right now or I will personally ensure that you are never able to have children. Got it?" Jacob, who was completely terrified, nodded and immediately released his grip on Rachel, who wasted no time getting up. She looked completely disgusted. Jacob quickly got up and left the room. Santana decided to move to a different chair. She motioned for Rachel to sit on her lap again. "What is it with guys wanting to hang all over you this week?" she asked as Rachel sat down.

"I have no idea, but its getting kind of irritating." Rachel replied, putting her arms around Santana's neck. Santana put one arm around Rachel's waist and rested the other on Rachel's legs, which were hanging over the arm of the chair they were in.

Santana mock-gasped. "Well, I never thought I would see the day when Rachel Berry didn't want all of the attention to be on her."

"The only person I want to hang all over me is you. And today is your day to shine." Rachel said.

"You were right, earlier. About me being nervous. I am." Santana said.

"I could tell."

"How?" Santana asked.

"Sweetie, you didn't really say anything on the bus ride here. You just looked out the window the entire time." Rachel said.

"Oh. I've never had an entire song before." Santana said.

"I know. Which is why when you completely kill it out there, I'm going to be extra proud of you." Rachel smiled at her girlfriend. Santana leaned in to kiss Rachel, but before she could they heard someone begin to cry.

"What the…" Santana trailed off. She finally realized it was Brittany crying. "Uh oh." Rachel got up off Santana so that the Latina could go to her best friend. "Britt, what's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, trying to comfort the blonde.

"Artie." Was all that Santana could understand.

"What about Artie? Is he okay?" Santana asked, worriedly looking around for Artie. "Guys, where's Artie?"

He rolled in. "I'm right here, Santana." He noticed his girlfriend crying. "Brittany? Baby what's the matter?" He looked at Santana.

"I asked her the same thing and all she said was Artie. At least, that's all I could understand." Santana explained.

Brittany spoke up again. "Magic….Comb…Gone….I lost….I lost the magic comb Artie gave me. Artie, please don't hate me."

Artie and Santana shared a look. "This has gone on long enough. Tell her the truth." Santana insisted.

"Britt, I don't hate you. Its okay that you lost the comb. The comb…it wasn't even a real magic comb. I found it on the floor and was going to throw it away."

Brittany stopped crying. "And you let me comb my hair with it?"

"Brittany, you don't need a magic comb. You're magic, Brittany." Artie said.

"Artie…that's so sweet." Brittany said. She leaned in and kissed Artie.

"Well, now that we have _that_ all cleared up, can we please all focus now?" Santana requested.

"I agree." Rachel said.

Mr. Schue walked in. "How come not one of you in your costumes? Come on guys, get serious." New Directions started to get dressed. Soon they were all in the audience, watching their competition. Soon it was their turn to perform. As predicted, Sam and Quinn sang their ballad amazingly, as did Santana. Brittany and Mike's dance routine was great. After Santana's song was finished, Rachel and Santana smiled at each other through the applause and cheers. Next thing Santana knew, Rachel was at her side. Santana pulled her into a hug. Rachel whispered. "You did amazing San." Santana could only smile in response. After the competition, all the schools gathered on the stage. New Directions were announced the winners. This time, Rachel was the one to hug Santana. "We did it. We're going to Regionals!" Santana said. Over the next few days, Glee Club still celebrated their win at Regionals. Meanwhile, Santana planning for Rachel's upcoming birthday. Santana wanted to make Rachel's birthday special. She suddenly came up with the perfect idea. Mr. Schue had given them the day off from Glee practice and there was no Cheerios practice that day, so on Rachel's birthday, Santana ditched last period study hall to make sure she got home before Rachel did. She went and got all of the supplies she needed. Once she had them all, she went back to the house and set it all up. She checked her clock. Rachel was getting out of school at that moment. She sent her a text

**To: Rachel**

**Rach, I left school early, so don't wait for me. I had an errand to run. When you get home, can you come straight to my room please? Oh and by the way, happy birthday, baby girl! Love ya! **

She soon received a reply.

**New Message**

**Rachel**

**San, what kind of errand did you have to run? And why do I have to come straight to your room? Oh and thank you! Love you too! **

**You ask way to many questions. Just come straight home, okay? –S**

**Santana, I'm on my way now. Unless you want me to get into an accident, I'm going to have to stop replying to you. :) –R**

**See you when you get here. Love you! –S**

**I love you too. Now, goodbye! –R**

**LOL bye babe. –S**

**GOODBYE, Santana! –R**

Santana laughed at Rachel's text. She changed out of her Cheerios uniform, made sure everything was set up, waited for Rachel. Soon, Rachel's car was in the driveway and Rachel was coming up the stairs. She went straight to Santana's room. "Okay, San. I'm here. Where are you?" Rachel looked around. "Santana?" She saw a small box on Santana's bed with a note that said, _'Open_ _Me'_ beside it. She opened the box. Inside was another note, which said, _Hey birthday girl! Come to your room! –San. _"What? Why couldn't she just tell me to go to my room?" Rachel said to herself. She walked to her room. "All right, Santana. What is your…"Rachel trailed off as she entered her room and saw Santana lying on her bed in her room.

"Hey." Santana whispered.

"Hi." Rachel whispered back.

"Happy birthday." Santana said, still whispering.

Rachel just nodded. Santana got off the bed and walked up to Rachel. "You look beautiful, San."

Santana looked down. "Um…thank you? I mean I'm just wearing jeans and a black wife beater. Nothing special. My hair is still in a ponytail from school today."

"You still look beautiful." Rachel said. Santana smiled, then turned around as Rachel leaned in for a kiss. "Uh, hello?" Rachel said.

"Do you want your present?" Santana asked.

"I want my Santana." Rachel said. Santana smiled at that.

"All in good time, my dear. Come on. I know how much you like getting presents." Santana picked up a box and held it out.

"This doesn't have another note in it, does it?" Rachel asked.

"No. Just open it, Rach." Santana said. Rachel opened it. Inside was a choker necklace. Hanging from the middle of the necklace was a charm with the initials _SL _and _RB_ joined together.

"San…" Rachel said.

"I know its no engraved gold star necklace, but I got a choker style so that you could wear them both." Santana said.

"Its beautiful. Thank you." Rachel said.

"I have three other presents for you. I'll give you one of them later tonight, but you get the other two right now." Santana said.

"What are they?" Rachel asked.

"Well, first you mentioned something about wanting Santana?" Santana smirked, pulling Rachel in for a kiss. Rachel pulled away smiling. "And second?" she asked.

"Now Rachel, don't be so greedy."

"Hey, its my birthday. I get to be greedy if I want." Rachel said.

"Fine. Second, _you _get to take _me_ to Breadstix for a lovely dinner." Santana said, smiling.

"Happy birthday to me." Rachel teased.

"Get your coat." Santana said. The two girls laughed. When they walked into Breadstix, Santana immediately pulled Rachel into the back room.

"SURPRISE!" all of New Directions exclaimed.

"Happy Birthday, Rachel." Quinn, Brittany, and Mercedes said in unison.

Rachel turned to Santana. "You did this?" Santana nodded.

"I know you usually hate surprises but I just…I couldn't resist. Are you mad?" Santana asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Of course not. Thank you, San."

"Hey Rachel!" Artie yelled.

Rachel turned. "Yea?" she looked in the direction he was pointing. "Oh wow."

There was a huge pile of gifts. "Are you going to open them or what?" Tina asked.

Later, after the party, Rachel and Santana went home. They went upstairs and decided to hang out in Rachel's room. While Rachel put all of her gifts on her dresser, Santana felt in the box in her jacket pocket. She took a deep breath. _It is now or never, Lopez. Just do it already._

"Hey, Rach?" Rachel heard from behind. She remained facing the dresser. "Yea, San?"

"You want your third present now?"

Rachel smiled. "You should know me well enough to already know the answer to that, Santana."

"Then turn around." Santana said.

Rachel turn around to find Santana kneeling on down on one knee. "Santana?"

"Rachel, I love you." Santana began.

Rachel nodded. "Okay…"

Santana took a deep breath and took the box out of her pocket, opening it.

Rachel gasped. "Are you…are you proposing to me?"

"Well, I actually thought I would leave that up to you." Santana said.

"You want _me_ to decide whether or not you are proposing?" Rachel asked, leaning up against the dresser for support.

"If you want me to propose, then that's what I am doing. But if you do not want me to, then this can just be a promise ring or a friendship ring or whatever you want to call it. But Rachel, I love you. And I totally plan on proposing to you someday, because I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'll totally understand if you are not ready for that type of commitment yet, and I'll still love you. That's why I'm letting you make the choice of what this is." Santana said.

Rachel was tearing up. "Santana, I can't make that choice."

Santana nodded. "All right then. I will. Rachel Berry, will you marry me? Someday?"

Rachel bursted into tears. Santana remained kneeling down. "Rach…" Santana said, standing up. Rachel said something that Santana could not quite understand.

"What?" Santana asked.

Rachel calmed herself before speaking again. Santana waited patiently. "I said, yes."

Santana eyes widened. "Wha…What? Yes?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes." She kissed Santana. "San, I don't want to get married until after I graduate college though. I have always felt that way."

"I completely understand, Rachel." Santana said. "I'm just so happy that you said yes."

Rachel smiled, looking down at the box. "Uh…San?"

"What?" She asked. She followed Rachel's gaze. "Oh! Right. The ring." Santana took it out of the box and grabbed Rachel's left hand. The two girls smiled at each other as Santana put the ring on Rachel's ring finger. Rachel put her forehead to Santana's.

"Oh my god." Rachel said. "We're…engaged."

"Yea we are." Santana whispered. Santana kissed Rachel. They heard the front door open. "Girls! Santana? Rachel? How was the party?"

"My dads." Rachel said. "We have to tell them.

"I forgot about that part." Santana said, suddenly nervous.

"We'll be right down!" Rachel called out.

"Rachel!" Santana hissed. She covered Rachel's mouth with her hand. Rachel removed the hand. "Santana. We both live here. Its inevitable."

"And if they tell us we aren't allowed to be engaged?" Santana said.

"We'll cross that road when we get there. We won't know unless we tell them. Which we're going to do right now. Let's go." Rachel said, pulling Santana down the stairs. "Dad, Daddy, Santana and I have an announcement to make."

"What's up girls?" Hiram said.

"We…we got engaged." Rachel said.

"What? When?" Leroy said.

"About five minutes ago." Rachel said.

"Who proposed?" Hiram said.

"I did. Mr. B., Mr. Berry, I'm sorry that I did not talk to you about this first. But I love your daughter." Santana said.

"We know, Santana." Leroy said.

"When were you two planning on getting married?" Hiram asked.

"After college." Santana said.

"Soon." Rachel said at the same time.

"What?" three voices replied.

"Rach, you said that you have always wanted to get married after college. Not before." Santana said.

"I changed my mind. Why put off the inevitable?" Rachel said, smiling.

"Rachel, are you sure about this?" Leroy said.

Rachel nodded. "Dad, I have never been more sure of anything."

"Rachel you are sixteen." Hiram said.

"Actually, I am seventeen now. It is my birthday."

"Of course, sweetie. That's why we had initially had called you down." Leroy said.

"Anyway, Santana is already 17."

"Seventeen is still not an adult, girls." Hiram said.

"We need to talk this over. Can you girls go upstairs for awhile?" Leroy asked.

The two nodded and went back upstairs. When they were back inside Rachel's room, Santana leaned up against the wall. "They aren't going to let us get married. You do know that right?"

Rachel lay down on her bed. "You don't know that, San."

"They weren't exactly jumping for joy, Ray."

"But they didn't immediately say no, either." Rachel said.

"I was perfectly okay with waiting until after college. What happened to that idea?" Santana said.

"I thought you wanted to marry me, Santana." Rachel said.

"I do, Rachel. You know I do." Santana crossed the room and sat down on the bed. "I just think that we would have had a better shot of getting their approval if we had said we were going to wait until after college, you know?"

Rachel opened her mouth to respond, when they heard voices. "Girls! Can you please come down now?"

Santana looked at Rachel. "I guess its now or never, huh?"

Rachel smiled. "Yea. I guess that it is." Santana took Rachel's hand in her own, smiling as she felt the ring she gave Rachel. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Santana attempted to let go of Rachel's hand, but Rachel refused to let go. "No, Santana. We're engaged. Whether or not they let us get married now doesn't change that." Santana smiled and the two walked into the kitchen.

"Girls, we have made our decision." Hiram said.

Both girls looked at each other, but remained silent.

"And….we decided that….we're going to let you get married." Leroy finished.

Santana's eyes widened and Rachel squealed and hugged Santana.

"We can tell you two really love each other. And Rachel was right. Why put off the inevitable?" Hiram continued.

"But you girls won't be able to live here. If you're going to act like adults, you're going to live like adults. That means, getting an apartment and paying rent. Of course we will help you out since you're only seventeen, but you will have to help to pay it." Leroy said.

"Santana, since your parents death has made you a legal adult since you have no other living relatives, you don't need our consent. Rachel, we are giving you ours. You guys just need to choose a date." Hiram said.

"Rach?" Santana said.

"What about Saturday?" Rachel said.

"Saturday sounds perfect." Santana said.

"San, I want the Glee Club to be there."

"That sounds like a good idea. We can tell them tomorrow." Santana said.

"How about you girls go upstairs and talk about the details?" Leroy said. The girls nodded and went to Rachel's bedroom. The two girls walked into Glee Club the next morning and sat down. As soon as Mr. Schue walked in Santana raised her hand.

"Mr. Schue, Rachel and I have an announcement to make." She said.

The teacher nodded. "Sure, go ahead." The two walked to the front of the room. Rachel put her hand on Santana's shoulder, unintentionally, her left hand.

"Rachel is that a diamond ring on your finger?" Mercedes said.

Santana looked at the hand. "Really, Rach? You put your left hand up?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to. Well, I guess there's no point in putting it off. Santana and I are….well, we are engaged."

"When?" Kurt asked.

"Santana proposed to me last night." Rachel explained.

"On her birthday. Good move, Lopez." Puck said.

"When are you guys planning on getting married?" Quinn asked.

"We were thinking Saturday." Santana said. Quinn and Brittany exchanged a look, causing Santana to raise an eyebrow.

"Wait, you guys are both minors. How are you getting married?" Mr. Schue asked.

"When my parents died, I automatically became a legal adult. And Rachel's dads are giving her parental consent." Santana explained.

"And we want you all to be there." Rachel said.

Everyone but Quinn and Brittany nodded their heads. Santana took notice in this. "Britt, Q, why do you guys not want to come?"

Quinn opened her mouth to respond when the PA system came on. Coach Sylvester began talking. "Everybody listen up. My Cheerios are going to Regionals this Saturday. Since most of you have no lives, come out and support."

Santana's face dropped. "Saturday is Regionals." She looked at Rachel. The bell rung. The two girls walked out of the choir room together. Rachel looked extremely worried.

"San, your Regionals is on the same day as our wedding."

"I know." Santana said.

"I want to be there for you and you want to be at our wedding." Rachel said.

"I have been trying to the math in my head. There's no possible way we can do both, Rach. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Regionals is about five hours away." Santana said.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"I'll go take care of it right now. I promise." Santana immediately went to Sue's office.

"Coach Sylvester? I wanted to talk to you about Regionals. I'm not sure if I can make it."

"Why would you not be able to make it, Lopez?" the coach asked.

"I'm uh…I'm supposed to get married Saturday." Santana stuttered.

"If you're on the Cheerios, you go to competition. You can't just miss. So you have to choose. If you miss Regionals, you're off the Cheerios. That is that. Now get out of my office." Sue said.

Santana left and immediately sought out Rachel. "So I was thinking, how about we move the wedding to Sunday."

"What? Why?" Rachel asked.

"If I miss Regionals, Sue is going to kick me off the Cheerios." Santana said.

"So you have to choose between me and the Cheerios." Rachel said.

"Pretty much." Santana said.

"And you're choosing the _Cheerios_ over _me_?" Rachel asked.

"Rach, I never said that." Santan said.

"Santana, by asking me to move the wedding, you're choosing Sue over me." Rachel said.

"Ray, no I'm not. I'm trying to make is so we can do both." Santana said.

"No, you're trying to make it so you can get your way. San, that's not going to work." Rachel said.

"I guess I don't see the problem with moving the wedding." Santana said.

"I am not moving _my_ wedding day for _Sue Sylvester_. The woman has been terrible to me. She has been terrible to _you_. She has always tried to ruin Glee Club. You know, the place we met?" Rachel said.

"Hey, its my wedding day too. I should get a say in when it is." Santana said.

"You did. When you said, _'Saturday is perfect.'_ San, we made so many plans last night. Now you want to change them?"

"So what are you trying to say, Rachel?

"I'm trying to say that normally, I would never agree with Sue Sylvester, but right now I do. You have to make a choice, Santana." Rachel said.

"Rach, the Cheerios have been in my life longer than you have. I can't just desert them." Santana said.

"But you're fine with deserting _me_?"

"You're putting words in my mouth." Santana said.

"Santana, you have to choose. The Cheerios competition or our wedding." Rachel said.

"Rachel I can't make that choice." Santana said. "I just can't .

Rachel nodded and took off the ring Santana gave her. "I think you just did." She said, handing Santana the ring and walking off.

"Yea, I did." Santana said to herself. She walked off. She had some business to take care of.

After school, it was time for afternoon Glee rehearsal. Rachel sat down in the front row. She was not looking forward to seeing Santana. When her _ex_-fiancée walked in, Rachel's mouth dropped open in confusion.

"Where's your Cheerios uniform?" Rachel asked. Santana was wearing sweats and a WMHS athletics t-shirt.

"I quit." Santana said.

"You _what_?" Rachel, Quinn, and Brittany exclaimed in unison.

"I quit." Santana walked over and stood in front of Rachel. She squatted down in front of her. "Rach, no Cheerios competition is worth losing you."

"San…are you sure you want to do that?" Rachel asked

"I am completely sure." Santana pulled out Rachel's ring. "Be with me?"

"Forever." Rachel said, putting on the ring and kissing Santana. Santana looked at Brittany and Quinn. "By the way, Coach said you guys have to choose between Regionals and the wedding, too. I totally understand if you choose Regionals."

The two looked at each other. "We'll definitely be there, Santana." Quinn said. Sue who had been walking by, overheard this. "What did I just hear you say Q?"

"Brittany and I quit Cheerios too. We choose our friends over someone who makes us choose and I definitely choose the people who stood by me in my time of need over someone who dropped me like a broken pen as soon as I was no use to them." Quinn said. "Come on Britt. We should go change." Soon, the two were back, wearing sweats, like Santana. Mr. Schue walked. "What happened to your Cheerios uniforms?"

"We all quit." Santana said.

"What? Why?"

"She wanted me to choose between Rachel and the Cheerios. I chose Rachel." Santana said.

"And she wanted us to choose between Santana and the Cheerios. We chose Santana." Brittany said.

Mr. Schue nodded. "At least I don't have to worry about anymore spying." Everyone laughed.

"So Santana, Rachel, your fellow Glee Clubbers have a surprise for you." Mr. Schue said.

"We're going to sing at your wedding." Mercedes said.

"Yea, you guys can too. If you want." Finn said.

"Gee, thanks Finn." Santana laughed, along with everyone else.

"You guys, that really does mean a lot to us." Rachel said. Santana nodded in agreement.

"Okay guys, let's get to work. We have a wedding to prepare for. Santana, Rachel, how about you two sing the leads? Its your wedding after all." Mr. Schue said. The two nodded.

"Hey beautiful. How was your night?" Santana asked. Santana had spent the night at Brittany's house.

"It was good. But guess who came over last night?" Rachel asked.

"Who?" Santana asked, not really in the guessing mood.

"Santana, you have to_ guess_." Rachel said, looking for something in her locker.

"I don't know, Ray…Jesse?" Santana asked.

Rachel quickly pulled her head out of her locker and looked at the girl next to her. "How did you know?"

"I…I didn't. Are you serious? _Jesse St. James_? He came to the house? Why?" Santana asked, anger quickly clouding her face

"He's home for winter break already and he said he wanted to see me. We're hanging out tonight." Rachel explained.

"Over my dead body, you are." Santana said.

"San…"

"Rachel, there's no way that I'm going to let that happen. I'm not letting him near you. He's already lucky enough as it is that I wasn't home last night." Santana said.

"Santana, you can't control what I do." Rachel said.

"Rachel, he _egged_ you. And you want to hang out with him?" Santana asked.

"He did help me meet my mother." Rachel said.

"Yes, but then she abandoned you two days later."

"Jesse didn't force her to do that. I'm hanging out with Jesse tonight." Rachel said.

"Why are you telling me this? You had to have known that I would get upset." Santana said.

"I wanted to let you know so that you could make plans with Brittany or Quinn if you wanted too." Rachel said.

Santana remained frustrated all day. That night, when Rachel left to hang out with Jesse, Santana stayed in her room and tried to concentrate on homework. She would have gone downstairs with Rachel, but the look Rachel gave her when she tried told her that it would be in her best interest to remain upstairs until Rachel left. Rachel and Jesse went to Breadstix for dinner.

"Isn't Santana, like, obsessed with Breadstix?" Jesse asked.

"Santana Lopez? Why do bring Santana up?" Rachel was beginning to think that Jesse already knew about her and Santana.

"Because when we walked in I happened to remember that she had some insane obsession with this place. Oh, I'm sorry Rachel. I forgot that you couldn't stand her." Jesse said.

"Actually, Jesse, there's something that I have to tell you." Rachel said.

"What's up, Rachel?"

"You see, Santana and I are together." Rachel said.

"Together together?" Jesse asked.

Rachel nodded. "We're actually getting married this weekend." Rachel said, putting her left hand on the table for the first time since they arrived. She had been wearing gloves before they reached the restaurant, since it was December.

"Married? But you're only seventeen."

"Parental consent. Santana's already a legal adult because her parents recently died." Rachel explained.

Jesse nodded his head. "Rachel, are you sure you want to get married so young? What about your dreams of going to Broadway? Or getting out of Lima at all?"

"I…I guess I didn't really think about those things. All I know is that I love her."

"Rachel, I'm not trying to talk you out of anything. I don't want you to think that for a second. Just…what about your future? The Broadway career that you're going to have? Getting married could change all of that. I just don't want to see you throw everything that you have always dreamed about away." Jesse said. Rachel nodded. The two then went on with their meal. Jesse kindly let the subject drop.

Later that night, the glow of headlights filled Santana's room. She hurried over to the window and saw Rachel get out of Jesse's car. Jesse soon followed and walked her to the door. It took all of Santana's self control not to bolt downstairs when Jesse kissed Rachel on the cheek. As she heard Rachel come up the stairs, she jumped back in her bed, thinking Rachel was going to come into her room. She didn't. Santana sat there for a while. _Why is she not coming to see me?_ Santana thought. After about twenty or thirty minutes, Rachel came into Santana's room.

"Hey, San." Rachel said, offering a small smile.

"Hey, Rach. How was dinner with what's his face?" Santana said.

"You mean Jesse? It was fine. It actually gave me a lot to think about." Rachel said. Santana definitely noticed that Rachel wasn't coming any closer than she was when she walked in.

"About what? Is everything okay?" Santana asked, worry flooding her face.

Only then did Rachel sit down on the bed with Santana. "San, when you proposed to me, did you mean it?"

Santana did a double take. "Of course I meant it. Rachel what's wrong?"

"Santana, when you proposed, I was so shocked and happy that I didn't think about things like college and my dream to star on Broadway before I accepted." Rachel said.

"Rach, you can still have those things."

"What about college, San? What if we don't get into the same schools? What if we end up going to schools on separate sides of the country? How are we supposed to make that work?" Rachel asked.

"We could do it. I know we could." Santana said. Rachel finally looked her in the eyes. Santana could see hurt, sadness, and the unmistakable glisten of tears ready to fall in them.

"Rachel, what are you trying to say?" Santana said, dreading the answer that was sure to come.

"I just…I'm not sure if we're ready to get married." Rachel said.

"I thought you loved me." Santana said.

"San, I do. But this isn't just about love. We have our futures to think of." Rachel said.

"So you don't see a future with me?" Santana said.

"San, you're putting words in my mouth."

"No, I'm not. Rachel, if you didn't want to get married, why did you say yes?"

"I do want us to get married. I just think that we should wait. Like we had originally planned." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "So you want to what? Stay engaged?"

"Not for now." Rachel said, looking down.

"Do you even want to keep _dating_?" Santana asked.

"Of course I do. But right now I'm not sure if we're going to be able to after this. I can tell you are mad at me and hurt by this. I'm not sure if being in a relationship is a good idea for us right now." Rachel said.

"So you spend an hour with Jesse and all of a sudden you do not want to be with me at all? Are you with Jesse now? Because if you are you could have just said so." Santana said.

"Santana, I'm not with Jesse. First of all, turns out he's gay." Rachel said. Santana raised her eyebrows. "Second of all, I would never leave you for _him_."

"So you're just leaving me." Santana said.

"San…"

"Rachel, where does this leave us?" Santana asked.

"I want us to remain friends." Rachel said.

"I don't know if I can do that." Santana said. "It would be to hard."

"San, I don't want you out of my life." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I still love you, but for now, I can't be your friend. Its not that I don't want to. Its that I _can't _. It would kill me to be around you, but not have you." Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "I guess I just have to respect that. But just know that if you ever do want to be friends, or you ever want to talk, I'll always be there for you."

Santana just nodded. Rachel took that as her cue to leave. As she walked by Santana's dresser, she paused and took off the ring. "Keep this. We may need it someday." Santana closed her eyes as Rachel closed the door. She quickly grabbed her phone.

**To: Quinn**

**She left me Q**

**What? Who? –Q**

**Rachel. She broke up with me. –S**

**You mean she broke off the engagement? –Q**

**No, I mean she broke up with me completely. –S**

**WHAT? –Q**

**That's basically what I said. –S**

**Why? Where did all this come from? In school, she couldn't get ENOUGH of you. –Q**

**No idea. All I know is that she went to dinner with Jesse and then came back all worried about college and how us being married would affect that. –S**

**Wait…Jesse St. James? –Q**

**Yep. –S**

**Do you think he's after her? –Q**

**I don't think so…Rachel said he's gay. –S**

**Oh…do you need a place to stay? –Q**

**Yea…definitely for tonight, but Q, I don't think I can live here anymore. It hurts to much. –S**

**Hold on…–Q**

**Okay…–S**

**Asked my mom if you could move in with us. She said yes. You can even move in tonight if you want. She said she just needs a couple of hours, maybe three, to clear out the guest bedroom. –Q.**

**OMG….are you sure Q? –S**

**Of course S. You're my best friend. I can be there in fifteen minutes if you want to help you pack. –Q**

**Yea…I should probably go tell Rachel's dads that I'm moving out. –S.**

**You should probably go tell RACHEL that you are moving out. –Q.**

**Rachel? Why? –S.**

**She kinda lives there, S. I am not about to show up there to learn that Rachel hasn't been informed, and then have to deliver that blow. I'm not leaving my house until you tell her. –Q**

…**Fine. I'll go tell her. –S.**

**Good. Text me when you're done. –Q.**

**K. Thanks, Q. Really. –S.**

**No problem, S. –Q.**

Santana left her room and walked down the hall. She knocked on Rachel's door.

"Come in." Rachel said. Her nose sounded all stuffy. Santana wondered if she had been crying. Santana had been crying while texting Quinn. She opened the door.

"Hey, Rach."

"Santana. What are you doing in here?" Rachel asked. Her voice did not sound mad, just confused.

"I…I have something to tell you."

"What's up?"

"I think I'm going to move in with Quinn. Her mom said it was okay." Santana said.

Rachel's face dropped. "You…You're moving out?"

Santana nodded.

"San…you don't have to do that. You know that right?"

"Yea, I do. And I totally appreciate you offering to let me still live here even though…" Santana trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

"I get it. I guess it would have been awkward." Rachel said.

"I just need time. I don't want you out of my life either, Rach. But right now it hurts to see you all the time." Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "I am going to miss having you around."

"You'll still see me at school and in Glee." Santana said.

"I guess I had gotten used to having you around all the time." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "Well, I have to…go pack. So I guess I'll see you before I leave?"

"You better come say goodbye." Rachel said.

Santana gave her a sad smile. "Definitely. Well, first I have to go break the news to your dads."

"You better let me do that. They don't even know that we…" Rachel trailed off.

Santana nodded. "Okay." The two girls exited the room. One went downstairs, the other down the hall. Santana quickly texted Quinn.

About ten minutes later, Leroy came to Santana's room. "San, you know that you don't have to leave. We meant it when we said we wanted you to live with us."

"No, I know Mr. B. Its just…hard. I don't think that I can see her everyday without breaking down and crying. At least not for awhile." Santana said.

Leroy nodded. "Well, okay. Just know that you're always welcome here. No matter what."

Santana smiled. "I know, Mr. B. Thanks." They heard the doorbell.

"I assume that's Quinn. I'll tell her you're up here."

"Thanks." Santana was surprised when the man hugged her. She hugged back. "Thank you so much for all you did."

"No problem kiddo. And we're so sorry that it didn't work out between you and Rachel. We really wanted it to." Leroy said.

"So did I. But thanks." Santana said. Suddenly Quinn showed up at the door.

"Hey S. Hey Mr. B." Quinn said.

"Hello, Quinn. Did Hiram let you in?"

"Uh…no. Rachel did." Quinn said.

Leroy nodded. "I'll leave you girls to packing, then. Santana, make sure you come tell Hiram and I goodbye, or else we may not allow you back in to the house." He said with a smile. Santana nodded.

"Well, my interaction with Rachel wasn't at all awkward." Quinn said sarcastically.

"What happened?" Santana dared to ask.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Hi Quinn." Rachel said._

"_Hey Rachel." Quinn said, noticing the sad look in Rachel's eyes._

"_I'm guessing you're here to help Santana?" _

_Quinn nodded. "Can you show me where her room is?" she asked softly. While she normally loved making Rachel miserable she could not bring herself to do it when she knew how much both girls were suffering. And it helped that she knew that even though the two were broken up, Santana would still kill her if she said anything mean to Rachel. __Rachel nodded and led Quinn up the stairs. They passed Rachel's room. Quinn stopped._

"_Is that your room?" she asked._

_Rachel nodded. "Why?"_

"_Can I see it?" Quinn asked._

"_Uh…sure." Rachel opened her bedroom door and the two walked in._

_Quinn nodded. "Its…exactly how Kurt, Puck and Finn described it."_

"_And how's that?" Rachel asked._

"_Very Rachel Berry…and pink." Quinn smiled._

"_Santana's never liked my room. I'm sure she had something bad to say about it." Rachel said, trying to make a joke._

_Quinn's expression turned serious. "Santana never said anything bad about you…you know, after you guys told us about you two."_

_Rachel stopped smiling. Quinn thought she was on the verge of tears. "You know, I think I can find the way myself from here. Thanks, Rachel." She quickly left the room._

END FLASHBACK

"Good going Q." Santana said.

"You know, let's just pack. This entire experience is awkward." Quinn said. "By the way, Brittany is spending the night and she fully expects you to cry your heart out."

"I was planning on it." Santana said. "I just can't do it here."

Dropping her voice to a whisper, Quinn spoke again. "Since you aren't with Rachel anymore, are you going to rejoin the Cheerios? I mean, that's why you quit in the first place."

Santana thought about it. "Do you think Sue would let us rejoin?"

"We're her three best cheerleaders and Regionals are this weekend. Do you think you'd be able to perform Saturday, considering…"

"I think that would be the perfect distraction." Santana said. As the two left, Quinn went downstairs first. Santana went to Rachel's room.

"Hey, I'm going to take off now." Santana said to her girl…well, ex-girlfriend.

Rachel nodded. "Goodbye, San."

Santana walked over to the girl. "Bye, _mi estrella_." She softly kissed the girl on the top of her head, smiling as her eyes closed. Rachel watched as Santana paused at the door and turned around. "Rach, I _do_ still love you. And I do want to try the whole being friends thing."

Rachel nodded. "Of course, San." Santana smiled and left, saying goodbye to the Berry men as she did. Rachel watched from her window as Santana and Quinn loaded up her stuff. Before she got in the car, Santana turned around and looked at Rachel's window. She gave a small smile and waved to the girl indoors. Rachel waved back. Soon, Santana was gone.

The rest of the week went by rather fast for Santana, considering the way the earlier part had gone. Sue allowed the three to rejoin the Cheerios. Regionals came and went with yet another trophy in Sue's hands. Santana somehow managed to get through the rest of the weekend. Then Monday came. "Okay guys. Here's your assignment. You're going to draw a name out of a hat and then choose a song that makes you think of your partner. Half of you will draw." Mr. Schue said.

The six that got to draw were Brittany, Tina, Mercedes, Mike, Finn, and Rachel.

Brittany was first. "I got Sam." Mr. Schue wrote it down.

Next up was Tina. "Kurt." Again, Mr. Schue made a note.

Mercedes was next. "Artie."

Mike followed. "Quinn."

Then Rachel. "Santana…." Santana, who had been looking at her binder, slowly looked up.

"Is that going to be okay, guys?" Mr. Schue asked. Both girls slowly nodded, not looking at each other. "So I guess that leaves Finn and Puckerman." The bell rang, and Santana was the first one out of the room.

Later after the final bell rang, Santana saw Rachel at her locker. "Hey, Rachel. When did you want to practice for the assignment?"

"I don't know. Whenever you're free, I guess." Rachel said. She nodded towards Santana's Cheerios uniform. "Congrats on winning Regionals on Saturday, by the way."

Santana looked down. "Thanks."

"I was surprised Sue let you guys rejoin. Actually I was surprised you guys wanted to rejoin."

"Well, I quit for you and we broke up, so…yeah. I guess I just needed the distraction." Santana said.

"What about Glee?" Rachel asked.

"You mean the thing that you and I are both in? Yea, great distraction from losing you." Santana joked. Rachel slightly laughed.

"I guess you're right. I wrote a song to distract myself." Rachel said.

"I want to hear it sometime." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

She looked at Santana. "I miss you, Santana." She said quietly.

Santana looked down. "I miss you too, Rachel. But you should know that. You know that if this were going my way, we'd still be together." Rachel slightly nodded before, without warning, kissing Santana. The taller girl only slightly hesitated before hungrily kissing Rachel back. Gently, she pushed the smaller girl up against the wall that was right next to her locker for support. Rachel put her arms around Santana's neck, causing the other girl to wrap her arms around Rachel's waist in return. The smaller girl attempted to deepen the kiss, when suddenly Santana pulled away.

"I…Santana, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Not after everything I've put you through." Rachel apologized.

"Wait, Rachel, its fine. I probably should've pulled away before I did." Santana said.

"You must think I'm trying to mess with your head or something." Rachel said.

"If I wasn't so incredibly hot, yes I would." Santana joked, causing Rachel to smile. "Hey, I got you to smile again. Now everything's better."

Rachel looked around, then pulled Santana into the choir room. "What are you doing, Rachel?" Santana questioned.

"Santana, I didn't want to break up with you."

"Okay…but then why did you?" Santana asked.

"I just…I couldn't think of any other option." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I would've understood that you just didn't want to get married, but you wanted to still be with me." Santana said.

"I guess if I felt that even though you said you were okay with it, after awhile you would have grown to resent me or something. Especially if us being together prevented you from going to the college of your dreams." Rachel said.

Santana's heart broke. "Ray, I could _never_ resent you."

Hearing Santana call her by her nickname made Rachel smile. "You say that now, but what about in a year, or two years?"

"Rachel. I could never hate or resent you. I love you too much." Santana said.

"Even after I broke up with you, then kissed you?" Rachel said.

"Yes. Even after that. We haven't exactly been broken up that long. I can't just erase a three month relationship overnight." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"Right."

"So what exactly are you getting at Rachel?" Santana had to ask.

"I miss you, San. I love you. And I guess…I guess I'm trying to say that…I…I want you back, Santana. If you'll take me, that is." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "You mean like…" she trailed off, hoping Rachel knew what she meant so she didn't t have to say it.

Rachel did. "I think we should go back to just dating for now."

Santana nodded again. "I think I'm okay with that."

Rachel looked in Santana's eyes. "So…"

Santana kissed Rachel. Slowly, the two pulled away. "Is that a yes?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, you're a smart girl." Santana said, kissing her again.

"It's a yes." Rachel smiled.

"Hey, I still want to hear your song." Santana said, looking at her girlfriend (Santana could not believe she had Rachel back).

"Quick question first. Are you going to move back in?" Rachel said.

"Do you want me too?"

"Of course." Rachel said.

"I have to talk to Mrs. Fabray. I'll do it tonight, okay?" Santana promised.

Rachel nodded. "Okay."

"You. Sing. Now." Santana said.

Rachel laughed. "Okay, okay." She sat down at the piano.

She started to sing.

_There you rest  
>With all the rest<br>Of my accessories  
>On my nightstand.<em>

_You're red or yellow  
>And like a good fellow<br>__Sometimes you get lost in my mess.  
>But when schoolgirl pigtails won't do,<br>And I need to control my do  
>You're the only one I can count on.<em>

_My headband,  
>You're my headband.<br>__Wrapped right around my melon,  
>You're a product like Magellan<em>

Santana had to interrupt. "Wait…Rachel, did you write a song about your _headband_?

Rachel nodded. "Yes. Its called _My Headband_." Santana nodded. "So what did you think?" Rachel asked her girlfriend.

"Well…you know…it was…different…" Santana said.

"It sucks doesn't it?" Rachel said.

"Yea, pretty much." Santana admitted, hating the way Rachel's enthusiasm deflated. She walked over and sat down on the piano bench next to Rachel. "Baby its okay. You can practice and get better. Just write about something _other_ than your headband." Santana said. She pulled Rachel into her lap. Rachel put her arms around Santana's neck to keep balance.

"Yea, that's probably good advice." Rachel said.

"You know what else is good advice?" Santana asked.

"What's that?" Rachel asked.

"Kiss me." Santana whispered.

"That's excellent advice." Rachel whispered back, leaning in. Before she could follow, the two were interrupted.

"Whoa. Did we go back in time or something?" Quinn asked, smiling.

"No, I simply realized that I made a mistake." Rachel said.

"So are you two, like, re-engaged or what?" Puck asked.

"No, we're just dating again." Santana said.

"You okay with that, S?" Puck asked.

"I'm totally fine with it. As long as I have her back, I'm good." Santana asked.

"So does this mean that you're moving out?" Quinn asked.

"I'm not sure. I hate to do that to your mom, after she went to all that trouble." Santana said.

"We can talk about it tonight. I'm sure she will be fine with it." Quinn said, smiling. The rest of the glee club walked in and began applauding. Rachel looked at Santana, who shrugged.

"Might as well give them something." She said before kissing Rachel. When they pulled away, Rachel rested her forehead on Santana's. "God, I love you baby girl." Santana said.

"I love you too San." Rachel said.

"You don't know how glad it makes me to hear you say that again." Santana said.

"About as much as it makes me to hear _you_ say it to _me_." Rachel said. The two smiled at each other. Mr. Schue walked in.

"Ladies, we are all very happy for you, but can we please start practicing for Regionals?" he asked smiling. Santana opened her mouth to protest when Rachel put her hand over Santana's mouth to silence her.

"Of course Mr. Schue. I was thinking that we could…" It was Santana's turn to clamp her hand over Rachel's mouth, for the sake of the club's sanity.

"Oh Rachel. We've all missed your paragraphical speaking." Quinn said, earning a laugh from Santana, which earned the Latina a playful glare from her girlfriend. The two went to their seats, sitting very close to each other. The next morning, Santana arrived to the choir room early. She wanted to get there before Rachel so that she could find a song for her Glee assignment. She thought back to when Rachel sang _The Only Exception_ to her. Yeah, they had only been dating for three days. And sure, she _said_ it was for Finn, but eyes can't, won't and _don't_ lie and Rachel's were on Santana the entire time. She smiled at the thought. Slowly, the Glee Club began to dribble in. Santana found it odd that Rachel was not the first one after her, but she let it go. Sometimes Rachel took forever to leave her house.

Rachel was walking down one of McKinley's many hallways to get to the choir room, when suddenly someone from behind her pulled her, ripping her shirt. She was pushed against the wall and found herself face to face with Marshall, with the boy practically choking her.

"Heard you broke up with Lopez." He said.

"Actually we're back together." She replied.

"Then I guess I better hope _San_ doesn't find out about this."

"What do you want, Marshall?" she asked, terrified.

"To finish what I started, Berry." He leaned down to kiss her, but she slapped him in the face, causing him to hit her. She cried at the pain. "You shouldn't have done that, Berry." He raised his fist, and she closed her eyes to brace herself from the blow. Before he could hit her again, however, she felt him release her. She opened her eyes and found Puck holding him on the floor.

"Don't ever touch her!" he yelled. She was grabbed from behind again, and turned around to see Finn. He looked at her shirt and quickly took off his Hoodie to give to her. After she had it on, he pulled her into a hug. She began openly sobbing.

"Its okay, Rach. Puck and I are here. You're safe." Finn said to her. He looked up. "Puck. Rachel needs you more. She needs you to stay out of juvie." Those words got Puck instantly off the floor and he walked over to Rachel. He gently turned the girl around and the sight of her bloody and swollen face almost caused him to turn around again, but Rachel crashing into him with a hug stopped him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You're safe, Rach. I would never let anything happen to you." he said.

Finn spoke up. "Marshall, you better get out of here before Rachel lets go of Puck." Finn advised. The other boy got up off the floor and went in the direction of the parking lot.

"Do you want to go to the nurse's office?" Puck softly asked. Rachel nodded.

"Rach, we have to stop by the choir room and tell Mr. Schue where we'll be, though." Finn said.

"Santana can't see me like this." Rachel insisted.

"She's going to eventually hear about it." Puck reasoned. Rachel eventually gave in and the three went to the choir room.

Santana was practicing dance steps with Mercedes and Brittany when they got there. Mercedes was facing the direction of the door when they walked in. Santana and Brittany were had their backs to the door, so Santana didn't immediately see Rachel. Everyone around her instantly paused.

"Oh my god." Quinn said.

"Rachel?" Mercedes said. Santana instantly turned around.

"Oh my god." She whispered. She immediately ran to Rachel. "Ray? What…how…who?" She gently inspected the girl's face. She turned to Puck and Finn. "What happened?"

"Marshall was beating her up and Puck and I stopped him. Well, Puck stopped him. I made sure Rachel was okay." Finn explained.

"And you couldn't have gotten there _before _he hit her?" Santana exclaimed.

"San, they helped. It could've been a lot worse." Rachel whispered. Santana looked down at her girlfriend.

"You're right." She turned to the guys. "I'm sorry. Thanks for helping her."

Rachel hugged both guys again. "He's lucky I didn't beat the crap out of him." Puck said.

"Rachel, this needs to be reported. Regardless about the other situation. He physically hurt you this time." Mr. Schue said.

"But-"

"Last time doesn't even need to come up. It won't be relevant."

Santana's face clouded with anger. "Q, take Rachel to the nurse's office." She turned to walk out of the room, ignoring everyone's protests. Then one voice spoke up.

"Santana." She heard Rachel say. She turned around and slowly walked back to the girl.

"Yes baby girl?" she softly said.

"Please don't go."

"I can't let some guy beat you up and let him get away with it! I need to make him pay." Santana said.

"_I_ need you. I need you _here_ with me. I need you to help me get better." Rachel said, touching her arm. Santana instantly relaxed.

"Of course. I'm sorry." She wrapped the girl into a hug. "Why are you wearing Finn's jacket?" Rachel unzipped the jacket to reveal her ripped top. Santana's face instantly clouded with anger again. Rachel grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving.

"Rachel, you need to go the nurse's office." Mr. Schue said.

"I'll take her." Santana immediately said. Mr. Schue nodded. The pair left the choir room.

"I think he was following me from my house." Rachel suddenly said.

"What?"

"I was pretty sure I saw his car across the street when I left. I just didn't think much about it." Rachel said.

"That's it. I'm definitely moving back." Santana said. Rachel attempted to smile, but winced in pain. "Be careful, baby." Santana said. The girl kept looking around as the pair continued to walk.

"He left, San."

"How do you know?"

"Because Puck scared him so bad he ran towards the parking lot." Rachel said.

"Thank God for Puck." Santana muttered under her breath. "Baby I am so sorry that I wasn't there."

"San its okay. You're here now and luckily Puck and Finn were there too." Rachel said. They reached the nurse's office. "Can we talk about this later?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "Of course." She gently kissed Rachel's not swollen cheek before taking her into the nurse's office. The nurse took one look at Rachel before immediately grabbing the first aid kit.

"What happened to you?"

"She was beat up. What does it look like happened to her?" Santana snapped.

"San." Rachel chastised under her breath.

The nurse looked at Rachel. "Did she do this?"

Santana all but blew up. "Why would I bring her to the nurse's office if I was the one to beat her up? Why would you automatically assume that? Is it because I am Latina?"

"No, its because I know about your reputation. I don't know how many times I have had students come to me because they "fell" down the stairs as Santana Lopez was passing."

"Santana!" Rachel said.

"That was the _old_ me, Rachel. Let it go." Santana said. She turned back to the nurse. "Can you just help her? _Please_?" She added after the glare Rachel gave her. The nurse glared at Santana for a moment. "Glaring at me is not going to help my girlfriend." Santana remarked.

"Okay, I am going to have to ask you to leave." The nurse said.

Santana looked at Rachel. "Yea, no. I'm not going anywhere." She sat down in one of the chairs.

"Santana, please just shut up." Rachel mumbled through the ice pack on her face.

Santana nodded. "Okay." She did not say another word. The nurse was trying to put Neosporin in Rachel's cut.

"Ow." Rachel hissed. Santana glared at the nurse, but said nothing.

"Okay Rachel. You're good to go. It doesn't look like you need stitches and nothing is broken. But you do need to report this to the principal." The nurse said.

Rachel nodded. "Thank you." She looked at Santana, silently telling her to do the same.

"Yea, thanks." She grumbled. Rachel rolled her eyes and pulled the other girl out of the office.

"San, that was so rude." Rachel said, trying to hide her smile.

"You knew how I was when we got together." She replied. "And I have been nothing but sweet to you since."

"Except, you know, everyday in Glee Club before we came out." Rachel countered.

Santana shook her head. "Doesn't count."

Rachel stopped and took Santana's hands in hers. "I know." Santana stood there staring into Rachel's eyes for a moment before leaning down and kissing her forehead. Rachel looked up. "What is with you avoiding my lips?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Rach." Santana protested.

Rachel leaned up. "You kissing me could never hurt." She whispered before softly kissing Santana who wasted no time before softly returning the kiss. "I love you." Rachel whispered against Santana's lips, wrapping her arms around the other girl's neck.

"I love you too." The taller girl replied. She pulled away, put her arms around Rachel's waist and pushed away a strand of hair that had fallen in Rachel's face.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Santana asked.

"I have you to take care of me. And now that you're moving back in, I'm extremely okay." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "I'm not leaving your side, babe."

"What about Cheerios practice?"

"You can sit in the bleachers and watch." Santana said. "And most, actually all, of our classes are together. So I will be with you practically 24/7."

"That might get a little tiring after awhile." Rachel said.

"Psh. You wish you didn't want me around all the time." Santana smirked.

"Never." Rachel said before kissing Santana again. Santana proceeded to drag Rachel to the principal's office. She texted Finn and told him to meet them there and to bring Puck. When they arrived, they found the two, plus Mr. Schue. The group walked in.

"Ah, William, you requested to meet with me?" Principal Figgins asked.

"Yes sir. Rachel why don't you explain?"

"I was walking down the hall towards the choir room when I was attacked by another student." Rachel said.

"What student?"

"Marshall Andrews." Santana said.

"Mr. Andrews has already been to see me. He told me that Mr. Puckerman was hitting Rachel and he tried to stop him." Figgins said.

"What? That's a total lie! I was protecting Rachel!" Puck said.

"Wait. You said that he left." Santana said to Rachel.

"I thought that he did." Rachel said.

"Sir, I saw the whole thing. It was the other way around. Besides Puck would never hit Rachel." Finn said.

"Mr. Andrews has bruises on his face from Mr. Puckerman hitting him. There's no physical evidence that Mr. Andrews hit Rachel." Figgins said.

"No evidence? Are you completely blind? Look at her face!" Santana exclaimed.

"Ms. Lopez, I think that you need to calm down." Figgins said.

"You think that I need to calm down? I think that _you_ need to calm down!" Santana replied.

"Schue, control your students."

"No. Not when they're right. Puck would never do that to Rachel and you have a witness." Mr. Schue said.

"Who happens to be the friend of the suspect." Figgins said. There was a knock on the door. Everyone turned to look. The person entered.

"Karofsky? What are you doing here?" Santana asked.

"Principal Figgins, can I say something? It has to do with the incident." Karofsky said.

"Sure."

"Sir, I saw Marshall hit Rachel first. She was walking along, minding her own business when he grabbed her from behind and choked her. He tried to kiss her, but she stopped him. He got angry so he punched her. He tried to hit her again, but Puck stopped him. Puck let him go about thirty seconds later. Puck was only protecting Rachel." Karofsky said. Will, Santana, Finn, Rachel, and Puck's mouths all dropped. Rachel winced at the pain, but the shock did not leave her face. Figgins nodded.

"There. You have an unbiased witness." Santana said.

"Is that enough?" Will asked.

"Mr. Andrews will be expelled.. Mr. Puckerman, I'm sorry. You're all free to go." Figgins said. The group left.

"Thank you David." Rachel said. Karofsky nodded.

"Rachel, Santana, I'm sorry for what happened a while back. It wasn't cool and neither of you deserved it." Both girls nodded. Karofsky walked away.

"Rachel are you sure you're okay?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Yes, Mr. Schue. I think I just need to rest." Rachel replied.

"Santana, how about you take her home?" the teacher said. The girl nodded.

"Come on Rach." The two walked out to Santana's car. "We can get your car later." Santana said. Rachel nodded and got in the car. After about five minutes, Santana spoke. "Baby, I am so sorry you had to go through that."

"Santana, its not like you are the one who hit me." Rachel said.

"I know, I just…I wish that it had been me that he had hit." Santana said.

"Why?"

"Because I hate when you get hurt. It makes me hurt. And it makes me want to punch whoever hurt you." Santana said.

"And you think that I don't feel that way whenever you're hurting? Do you know how much willpower it takes not to punch Sue Sylvester whenever I see her?" Rachel reasoned. Santana laughed. "What's so funny?"

"The thought of someone punching Coach Sylvester."

"The thought of someone or the thought of me?" Rachel asked.

Santana thought about it. "Now that I think about it, _you_ punching her would be epic."

Rachel laughed at the thought. "It would be, huh?"

Suddenly, Santana turned serious. "Hey, in my bag is an envelope. It has your name on it. Can you find it please?" Rachel nodded and looked for it. After a few minutes she found it.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at it in her hands.

"Open it, silly." Santana said. Rachel pulled out a letter. "I wrote it to you the day after we broke up. I was trying to build up the nerve to give it to you, but then we got back together."

"You didn't cuss me out in it did you?" Rachel warily asked.

"Rachel, why would I give it to you after we got back together if I did?" Santana reasoned.

"Good point." Rachel read it out loud.

_Dear Rachel,_

_As happy as I am that we ended things on good terms, words can't even begin to describe how sad and upset I am that we ended things at all. I love you so much, but I completely understand where you're coming from with all this. I would never want to be the one to hold you back from what you are destined to do, which is star on Broadway. And even though we aren't together, I'll still fully support you and do whatever I can to help make that dream come true. My dream is that all of your dreams can come true for you. Well, that and to be able to still look this good in twenty years. That was added for humor, by the way. But seriously, as long as all of your dreams come true, than my dream will have come true as well. And I want you to know that I will be in the front row for you Broadway debut. I will always be here for you baby girl, you will never have to doubt that. I'll always support you, and I'll always love you. If you ever need anything, I will help you and I will always fight for you and defend you. And if you do decide that you want me to be apart of your dream, I will drop whatever I'm doing and I will come running because I love you. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that. _

_Love, Santana_

As Rachel read the last part of Santana's letter, Santana looked over at her. She noticed that the other girl was tearing up. "Rachel, it wasn't intended to make you _cry_."

"Was the goal of this letter to get me back?" Rachel asked.

"No. It was to let you know that I would always be your friend no matter what you decided." Santana said.

"That's too bad…it would have worked." Rachel said.

Santana smiled. "Well, I didn't need it. _You _came running back to _me_."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You didn't exactly put up a fight."

"That's because I love you." Santana said.

"This is kind of weird isn't it?" Rachel asked

"What?"

"Us being nice to each other." Rachel said.

"Uh…no? We're together and in love…" Santana said.

"No I mean so much has changed since last year. Since the beginning of this year, even. Four months ago, you hated me. And now…" Rachel said.

"And now I tell you that I love you at least twenty times a day?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Rach, you can't exactly help who you fall in love with. I mean, I certainly would not have picked you." Santana said.

"Excuse me?" Rachel said.

"I mean the _old_ me. The new me doesn't want anyone else." Santana quickly said.

"Nice save Lopez." Rachel said.

"You know you love me." Was the reply she received.

"That I do." Rachel smiled at Santana, who was concentrating on driving. "That I do." When they reached the Berry house, Santana helped Rachel inside. She gently led Rachel to the couch and instructed her to lie down. Santana went upstairs and got Rachel's favorite blanket and her pillow. She went back downstairs.

"Do you need an ice pack or anything?"

"I could really use some aspirin." Rachel said.

"Coming right up." Santana said and went into the kitchen. She quickly returned. After Rachel took the pill, Santana sat down and grabbed the remote. "What do you want to watch? And just know that if you say _High School Musical_, I'm totally going back to school."

Rachel sighed. "Fine. I guess we can watch _I Love You, Beth Cooper _if you want." Santana smiled and put the DVD in. Halfway through the movie, they heard a car door shut. The two looked at each other. Before either of them could say anything, the front door opened. "You did remember to lock the door, right?" Rachel whispered.

"Yes…well, I think I did." Santana whispered back.

"Santana!" Rachel hissed.

"Rachel?" they heard. Rachel knew that voice.

"Daddy?" she replied. Both of Rachel's fathers soon entered the room.

"Rachel, sweetie, are you okay?" Hiram said. Santana got out of the way so that both of them could sit next to their daughter.

"I'll be fine Daddy." Rachel replied.

Leroy looked over at Santana. "Are you okay, Santana?"

Santana nodded. "Yes sir. I actually wasn't there when it happened."

Hiram looked over. "Where were you? You're supposed to protect our daughter!"

"Daddy!"

"Hiram, that was uncalled for." Leroy said.

"Was it Leroy? Rachel never got beat up until she started dating Santana. The worst that happened was a slushie. Now we get a call in the middle of the day saying she went home because a boy hit her?" Hiram exclaimed.

"Mr. Berry, if I'd been there he wouldn't have touched Rachel. As soon as I heard, I tried to go after him. Rachel stopped me." Santana said.

"Yes, well, all I know is that Finn and Noah were there to help her. And her so-called girlfriend wasn't." Hiram said.

"So-called? Daddy, stop it! You'are being mean to Santana when all she has tried to do is help take care of me." Rachel said. "She even offered to move back in so we can come to school together and she can make sure that he does not stalk the house or wait for me at school." Rachel said.

Hiram scoffed. "There's no way I am letting _her_ move back in here." Santana's mouth almost dropped open. She had always thought Hiram had liked her.

Rachel's mouth actually did drop open. "Dad, please do something."

"Hiram, that is enough. Since Santana and Rachel have gotten together, she has done nothing but love our daughter. Rachel's safety has been her top priority and I believe that if she had been there, Rachel would have been safe." Leroy turned his attention to Santana. "But I do have to ask, where _were _you? Rachel told me that you usually wait for her outside."

Santana nodded. "I went in early today. Our Glee assignment is to find a song that makes you think about your partner and I was trying to find the perfect song for my partner, which happens to be Rachel. I didn't want her to overhear and ruin the surprise, so I came to school early. I wish I hadn't."

Rachel nodded. "She even told me that she wished she had gotten hit instead of me."

Hiram shook his head. "Nevertheless, I don't think it is appropriate for Rachel to continue to spend time with Santana. Not when all she does is bring Rachel pain."

"Mr. Berry, with all due respect, since I started dating her, when have I ever caused Rachel pain?" Santana asked.

"Well, you proposed to her, then broke up with her."

"Daddy, _I _broke up with her! She didn't break up with me. And we got back together less than a week later." Rachel interrupted. Her father held up a hand.

"And now this."

"You can't honestly believe that this is my fault." Santana said.

"She got beat up because of you."

"She got beat up because…" Santana trailed off, knowing this was Rachel's story to tell her dads. "You know what? There's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise right now. I think I should go before the relationship I thought we had is completely demolished and while there is still a chance I can still be allowed to see Rachel. But I have one thing to say. You can stop us from seeing each other, but you can't stop us from loving each other, Mr. Berry. In the past couple of weeks I've learned that my relationship with Rachel can withstand pretty much everything." Santana leaned over and kissed Rachel on the forehead. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered.

"I love you too. Please call me later." Rachel said.

Santana grabbed her phone and wallet from the table and started to walk towards the hall. "I will. Bye." She turned towards Leroy. "Bye Mr. B."

"Goodbye sweetie." Leroy said, hugging the girl.

She turned towards Hiram. "Goodbye Mr. Berry. I wish I could convince you that I would've done everything possible to protect her if I'd been there. I really do hope that you forgive me for allowing this to happen and continue to allow me to see your daughter." She extended her hand and he shook it. Santana waved to Rachel, shot her a small smile, then left. Only then did Rachel blow up.

"How could you do that? Santana tried to help me! Santana loves me!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel, if she loved you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"She wasn't there! She didn't know! You didn't see her when she found out. I did. She was furious. She got mad at Finn and Puck for letting him do this to me. She tried to go after him. When we went to the nurse's office, she got mad at the nurse when the Neosporin she put in my cut stung me. When the nurse requested Santana leave, Santana flat out said she wasn't leaving me and sat down in a chair. Now try and tell me she doesn't love me." Rachel said.

Hiram nodded. "I guess I did overreact. Santana has always been a lovely girl and she has always been sweet to you, at least, since we've known her."

Leroy nodded. "Rachel, I have to ask. What did Santana start to say when your daddy accused her of being the reason that you got beat up?"

Rachel swallowed. "The guy who beat me up…he tried to sleep with me at a party, but Santana stopped him. Whether or not he wanted to get revenge on Santana or what, I'm not sure, but he was definitely planning on trying again."

"I'm going to the principal." Her dad said.

"I already did. Mr. Schue, Finn, Puck, Santana, and I did. Principal Figgins said that he was going to be expelled. But I won't feel safe unless I have the one person, other than you two, that I know I can count on with me. And I think you know who that is." Rachel said.

"Santana." Hiram said.

"Daddy, please let her move back in. I love her. She loves me. And she loves you guys." Rachel said.

They looked at each other. "Okay." Hiram said.

"O…okay?"

"Santana can move back in. You can call her now. Knowing Santana, she didn't go back to school. She wouldn't have been able to concentrate." He said. Rachel smiled and ran upstairs to make the call. She quickly dialed her girlfriend's number.

_"Hello?"_ Santana said.

"Oh my god, Santana!" Rachel said excitedly.

_"Well, hello to you too."_

"Sorry. Hi!" Rachel said.

Santana laughed into the phone. _"Hey there, pretty girl. How did the inquisition go?"_

"Pretty good. Considering you get to…wait for it…move back in with us!" Rachel said.

_"Wait…what? You actually convinced them to let me?"_ Santana said.

"Uh…yeah! That is what you wanted, right?"

_"Of course. Anything to be around you all the time."_ Santana said.

"I thought that you wanted to protect me." Rachel teased.

_"Uh…yeah. That too."_ Santana laughed. _"Seriously though. That is so cool."_

"I know right? Are you coming back right now?" Rachel asked.

_"Do you want me to?"_

"I always want you here, San."

_"Then I am on my way."_ Santana said, smiling even though she knew Rachel could not see it.

"Awesome." Rachel said.

_"Hey Rachel?"_

"Yea San?"

_"I do love you. You know that right?"_ she asked.

"Santana, of course I do. My dads do too. Daddy just overreacted to me being hurt." Rachel said.

_"As long as you know, that's all that matters, right?"_

"Yes." Santana moved back into the Berry house that weekend. That Monday, she had early morning Cheerios practice. She woke up at six in the morning and got ready. Before she got ready she went into Rachel's room.

"Ray? Rachel, honey, wake up." Santana whispered.

"What? Is it time for my Grammy? Do I look okay?" Rachel said.

Santana giggled. "You look beautiful, pretty girl. And no its not time for your Grammy. Not yet, anyway. Its time to wake up."

"Wha…San? What's going on? Is it seven thirty yet?" Rachel sleepily slurred.

"No baby. Its six in the morning. Wake up." Santana smiled.

"What? Why?" Rachel whined.

"Early morning Cheerios practice. You have to come with me." Santana explained.

"But…Santana!" Rachel said.

"Not interested in hearing it. Get up and get ready. You aren't leaving this house without me." Santana said.

Rachel sighed. "Fine."

The two got ready and Santana drove to the school. Rachel went into the gym while Santana went into the locker room to put her stuff in her locker. While she was there, a Cheerio named Amy walked up to her. "So Lopez, heard you're dating Rachel Berry."

Santana turned around. "What's it to you? You have a problem with me dating a girl?"

Amy shook her head. "No, we have a problem with you dating Berry."

"Excuse me?" Santana said.

Amy walked closer and put her water bottle in Santana's face. "You heard me."

"I was hoping I hadn't." Santana hit the water bottle out of Amy's hand. "Don't ever do that again." Amy pointed a finger in Santana's face.

"You can't date her and stay on the Cheerios, Lopez." Santana hit the hand. Amy stepped back a step. Santana tried to lunge forward, but was caught by Quinn and Brittany.

"S. S, calm down." Quinn said.

"No way! She told me that I couldn't date Rachel."

"Whoa! Amy that's so not your place." Quinn said.

"We can't have a Cheerio dating a geek like Rachel! Its bad for our reputation." Amy said.

"You know what else would be bad for our reputation? If the school found out who _you_ are dating, Mrs. Lead Tuba." Quinn said. Santana held back her laughter.

Sue walked in. "What is going on here?"

"Amy's telling Santana who to date." Brittany said.

"Who's Santana dating?" Sue asked.

"Rachel Berry." Amy said.

Sue nodded. "Alright, listen up. I don't care if you're white, black, orange, or blue. I don't care if you are straight or not. If you can do a triple flip in the air, you're on the Cheerios. Unless you're discriminating against your teammates. Then you're off. Amy, I want you out of that uniform, now. Everyone else, get out into the gym. Now!" Sue stormed out of the locker room.

"What just happened?" Amy said.

"I think you just got kicked off." Quinn said. Santana nodded.

"Buh-bye!" she said.

"Whatever. Like I need the Cheerios." Amy said and walked out. The remaining Cheerios went to the gym and had practice.

"Lopez! You'll be taking Amy's spot on the pyramid." Sue said.

Santana looked up. "What?"

"You heard me."

Quinn looked at her. "S, Amy was in the second tier on the pyramid with Britt. You're back at the top of the pyramid. Sort of."

"Oh my god. I am." Santana looked up at Rachel and smiled. Rachel smiled back.

"Alright, practice is over!" Sue said.

Santana went to the locker and got her stuff. Rachel was waiting in the hallway when she came out. "Rachel! You aren't supposed to be in the hall by yourself. What is Marshall came back into school?"

"But he didn't. Everything's good. Especially now that you're back at the top of the pyramid! I'm so happy for you! But…why did Amy lose her spot?"

"She uh…told me that if I was dating you, I couldn't be on the Cheerios. Sue got mad and kicked her off of the squad." Santana said.

"Really?" Rachel stopped smiling. "San, I am so sorry."

"Why? Its not like I'm the one who got kicked off. And if I'd gotten kicked off because of that, it wouldn't have mattered. Because I love you more than the Cheerios." Santana said.

"Aw…San! That's so sweet." Rachel smiled.

"Rach, people are always going to tell us we cannot be together. But I think that we've proven that we can outlast them. We defy the odds. We shouldn't work as a couple, but we do." Santana said.

"We do, huh? I think we make a pretty good couple." Rachel said.

"Good? Sweetie, I think we make an amazing couple." Santana said.

"Yea. I think you're right." Rachel smiled and walked to the choir room.

"Alright, guys. Who's ready to sing their song?" Mr. Schue said.

No one raised his or her hands. "No one? Seriously guys? What's going on?"

"In our defense, Mr. Schue, Finn, Puck, Rachel and I have been a little distracted." Santana said.

"Okay, you four are off the hook for _today_ but what about the rest of you?" Mr. Schue said.

No one said anything. "Guys, come _on_. Regionals are soon. I thought you guys wanted to go to Nationals."

"Of course we do, Mr. Schue." Mercedes said.

"But we 've all kind of been distracted with the whole Rachel and Marshall incident. No one, not even Karofsky, ever went this far." Kurt said.

"You guys are all pretty shook up about this, huh?" Mr. Schue said.

Every single member nodded. "It scared us when we saw her the other day." Tina said.

"Seriously." Artie agreed.

"Guys, what happened to me had nothing to do with being in Glee Club." Rachel said.

Everyone looked at her. "What?" Mike said.

"Marshall wanted to sleep with me. He didn't want to punish me for being in Glee Club." Rachel said. She could feel Santana start to get angry at hearing all of this again. Rachel put her hand on Santana's knee to comfort her. "Sorry, sweetie."

"Baby, don't apologize. He should apologize to you." Santana said.

"Rachel, we're so sorry that you had to go through that." Mr. Schue said.

"Seriously. We're going to give you, like, a human perimeter wall when you walk down the hallway. No one is going to get close enough to hit you again." Puck said.

"Guys, I appreciate that, but you don't have to do that for me." Rachel said.

"Baby we know that. We _want_ to. You know I do." Santana said.

"Did you put them up to this?" Rachel asked Santana.

"No. No one did. Mike and Sam came up with it. And everyone quickly agreed." Quinn said.

"Guys, I really appreciate this, but I feel that a perimeter is just going to bring more attention to the situation." Rachel protested.

"Fine. But we're all walking with you." Sam said.

As they walked down the hall, Rachel received many weird looks. The other Glee members reluctantly disappeared at their classrooms. Eventually it was just Rachel and Santana. Finally, someone said something. "Aren't you the girl who got beat up?"

As Rachel began to stammer out an answer, Santana stepped in. "Is that really any of your business?" she asked, protectively stepping between the boy and Rachel.

He quickly shook his head. "You're Santana Lopez, aren't you?"

Santana looked taken aback. Everyone in McKinley knew who she was. "You must be new here if you don't know that." She said.

"Its my first day. Sorry about my comment earlier. I'm Drake Wyatt, by the way." He said.

Santana looked him over. He wasn't bad looking. In fact, he was actually pretty hot. "Santana Lopez." She offered. "But you apparently already knew that." Drake smiled. Rachel cleared her throat. Santana looked back. "Oh. Sorry. This is my friend Rachel Berry."

'_Friend?_' Rachel mouthed. The other two did not notice and Drake gave Rachel a small smile. Rachel didn't like the way Santana was flirtatiously twirling her hair and leaning closer to Drake than she was to Rachel. "So Santana, maybe you could show me around sometime?" Drake asked. Santana eagerly nodded. "Sure, of course. How about during lunch?"

"San, I thought we were eating lunch together today." Rachel said.

"Oh…well can we eat together tomorrow, Rach?" Santana asked.

Rachel raised her eyebrows. "I guess." She said in a short tone.

Santana nodded. "So lunch?" she said to Drake, putting a hand on his arm. Rachel watched with narrow eyes.

"Definitely." Drake smiled again. "See you then." He walked away.

Rachel turned and continued down the hall. When Santana turned around, Rachel was gone. "What did I do?" she asked herself. "Rachel!" she called. Sighing, the diva stopped, but did not turn around. Santana ran to catch up. "Rachel."

"Yes, Santana?" Rachel asked in the same tone she had had earlier.

"Did I do something wrong?" Santana asked.

"I don't know. Did you?" Rachel asked.

"Uh…do you want to clue me in?" Santana said, getting annoyed.

"You seriously don't know." Rachel said. She turned around and walked into the bathroom. Santana followed. Rachel's back was facing the door, but Santana could tell she was crying.

"Rachel, what's going on? What did I do?" Santana asked. She gently turned Rachel around.

"Santana, you stood there and flirted with someone else right in front of me." Rachel said.

"What? Rachel, I wasn't flirting with him."

"Oh come on. Santana, I know you. I know how you flirt. You block out everyone and you twirl your hair around your finger to look interested in whatever they're saying. And you don't ever show new students around." Rachel said.

Santana looked down. "Rach, I am so sorry." She looked back up. "But there's something else. Something that you aren't telling me."

"You introduced me as your _friend_ Rachel Berry." Rachel said.

"Okay…"

"So now we're just friends?" Rachel asked.

Santana closed my eyes. "Oh my god. I was totally flirting. Rachel, I am so sorry."

Santana tried to pull Rachel into a hug. "I can cancel if you want me to."

Rachel fell into the hug. "No, its okay. I trust you. Show him around."

"Are you sure?" Santana said.

"Yes I'm sure that I trust you." Rachel smiled.

"No, silly. Are sure you want me to show him around?" Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "Yes." Santana leaned down and kissed Rachel.

Lunch came. Rachel walked to the cafeteria alone and ate with Mercedes and Kurt. Santana walked down the hallway with Drake. She found herself quite bored really fast. All he did was talk about himself. She did not think it was possible for him to shut up. She pulled out her phone and texted Rachel.

**To: Rachel**

**Save me!**

**What's wrong? - R**

**New kid won't SHUT UP! –S**

**Aw…poor baby. :) What's he talking about? –R**

**Himself. If he were talking about ME then it'd be a different story. –S**

**If he were only talking about YOU he and I'd have a little problem –R**

**Now, Rachel, I thought you trusted me. ;) –S**

**I do trust you. I just don't know if I trust him. –R.**

**OMG. He's so unbelievable boring. –S**

**I'll come find you. –R**

**OMG. THANK YOU! By the stairs close to the choir room. I love you for this. –S**

**Just for this? –R.**

**Well, no. Not JUST for this. :) –S**

Santana received no reply. She assumed Rachel was on her way. Suddenly, Drake (miraculously) stopped talking about himself. "Are you okay Santana?" he asked.

"Huh? Yeah, of course I am." Santana replied. She leaned up against the wall outside of the choir room. He stood in front of her. She tried to push him out of her personal space, but he was stronger than she was.

"What? You don't like me?" Drake asked.

"I'm in a relationship." Santana said.

"With who?"

"Rachel."

"That geeky looking girl you were with earlier?"

"Excuse me?" Santana said.

"I mean, come on you can do better than that." Drake said.

"Like what? _You?_" she asked disgusted.

Drake nodded. He leaned in and kissed her. She heard a gasp from behind as she tried to pull away. "Santana?"

"Rach. No. Its not…I didn't…_he_ kissed _me_." Santana said.

"Santana, I trusted you!" Rachel said.

"Rachel, I didn't do anything." Santana said as Rachel ran away crying. She turned around and slapped Drake. "Hope you can find your way back on your own. Tour is over." She ran after Rachel. She knew Rachel could not be in the choir room. That only left one place. Santana sprinted to the auditorium. As she entered, she heard Rachel playing the piano and faintly heard her singing the chorus of _That Should Be Me_. Her heart broke, remembering when she sang it to Rachel.

_That should be me holding your hand_  
><em>That should be me making you laugh<em>  
><em>That should be me, this is so sad<em>  
><em>That should be me, that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me feeling your kiss<em>  
><em>That should be me buying you gifts<em>  
><em>This is so wrong, I can't go on<em>  
><em>'Til you believe that that should be me<em>  
><em>That should be me<em>

When she reached the front row, she realized Rachel was done singing. In fact, she heard Rachel begin crying. She started clapping. Rachel looked up, saw Santana, and turned away. Santana took that as her cue to walk onstage. "That was awesome baby."

"Don't call me that." Rachel said.

"But you are my baby." Santana said.

"Are you sure its not Drake?" Rachel said, turning towards Santana.

"Rach, that's not fair. Drake kissed me. He's self-centered, annoying, and an all around jerk. And even if I didn't hate him, I wouldn't kiss him. I love _you_. I thought you trusted me." Santana said. She reached the piano bench, kneeled down between Rachel's legs, and gently forced Rachel to make eye contact with her.

"So did I." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you know you can trust me. Its been three months and I haven't once cheated or given you reason to think I cheated." Santana said. Rachel looked down. "Have I?" Santana said. Rachel shook her head. "So why don't you believe me?" Santana asked.

"Seeing you with him broke my heart." Rachel said.

"How do you think seeing you with Marshall felt? Before I knew what had happened, I mean." Santana said.

"But I was drunk. You're sober." Rachel said.

"You're right. I'm sober. Which means I'm coherent, which is how I know that he kissed me. Not the other way around." Santana said. "Rachel, I just got you back. Why would I try to mess that up?" Rachel shrugged. She still refused to look Santana in the eyes. "Rach, sweetie, look at me." Santana requested.

Rachel looked up. "San…" she whispered. "Are we crazy?"

"I know you are, but…" she jokingly trailed off, causing Rachel to smile. "What's this about?"

"Are we crazy to think this…_we_ could work? The former head cheerleader and the captain of the Glee Club?" Rachel said.

"Yes…maybe at first, we were crazy to fantasize that…but now we aren't living in a fantasy, Rachel. We're living reality. You and I? We're meant to be together. I think that's, although unknown to me then, why I joined Glee. So that I could meet you, so that I could meet the one. Well that, and Quinn was trying to stop you from getting to close to Finn and Sue wanted us to spy." Santana said. "Sweetie, I love you. I want to be with _you_. If I didn't, I wouldn't be with you. And I know you love me too."

Rachel nodded. "I do love you."

"Do you trust me?" Santana said.

Rachel looked at Santana. "Yes." She whispered.

"Do you believe me?" Rachel nodded again. "Then we're going to be fine. And we're not going to worry about Drake anymore, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded once again. "Are you just going to nod?" Santana said with a small smile.

Rachel shook her head. "There. I didn't nod." She said smiling. Santana grinned and pulled Rachel into a hug. Rachel pulled back and kissed Santana. "Sorry I didn't believe you, S." Rachel said.

"Its okay baby. I probably, more like definitely, would've freaked out too. Only difference being I would've punched him." Santana said.

"I almost did." Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I thought about it, anyway." Rachel corrected herself.

Santana nodded and smiled at the other girl. "That's what I thought. Rachel, you could never punch anyone."

Rachel tried to look tough. "I could too!" The two girls looked at each other, then bursted out laughing. Rachel had not been successful.

"While I admire you enthusiasm baby girl, that appearance isn't for you." Santana said.

"I could so punch someone." Rachel said.

"Uh-huh. Right. Prove it. Punch me right now." Santana dared.

"Punch…punch you?"

"Yep. I want you to punch me." Santana said.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rachel, I'm very sure. Punch me. Right now." Santana said.

Rachel looked unsure. "Are you going to punch me back?"

"Of course not. Come on Rachel. Punch me." Santana said, getting impatient.

"O…okay…if you're sure…" Rachel said. For a second, Santana thought she was going to wimp out, when suddenly she felt a stinging pain in her shoulder.

"OW!" she yelled.

"Oh my god! Santana I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" Rachel rambled.

"I…I'm fine, Rach. Since when do you have muscle?" Santana asked.

"Using the elliptical every morning gives one muscle." Rachel said.

Santana nodded. "Okay so maybe you could punch someone."

"Told you." Rachel said.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side anymore." Santana said.

Rachel smiled. "I'm so sorry, San."

Santana shook her head. "Its fine Rach. Really, it is. I mean, I told you to hit me."

"Yea, that's right. You did tell me to hit you. So, in conclusion, your pain is technically your own fault." Rachel said.

"Shut up, Rachel."

Rachel raised her fist. "Watch it, Lopez." Santana rolled her eyes and pulled Rachel's neck down to kiss her.

"You're so lucky that I still love you after that stunt, Berry." Santana said.

"I think that _you_ are lucky that you love me." Rachel said.

"Yea I am." Santana whispered. Later that day, in afternoon Glee Club, Santana prepared to sing her song to Rachel. She thought back to their duets competition they had done when Puck was in juvie.

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana was watching Rachel in Chemistry class. She found herself getting extremely turned on as Rachel raised her hand every time the teacher asked a question. Suddenly, the bell rang signaling the start of free period. She saw Rachel bolt from the room. Knowing where her girlfriend was off to, Santana slowly headed towards the choir room, hoping Rachel would be alone. As she neared the room, she heard the final notes of 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart.' She smiled as she heard Rachel's voice, but quickly scowled when she heard Finn's. She stood outside the door, watching them. She saw them have a conversation and she saw Finn kiss Rachel. As Finn walked out of the room, Santana hid. Once he was gone, she entered and closed the door._

_"Nice song, Berry." She said, keeping up the act in case someone was to walk in._

_Rachel, keeping up her role as well, did not turn to face Santana. "Thank you, Santana."_

_Santana slowly walked towards Rachel. When she reached the piano, she stood so that their feet were alternating. Rachel was very happy for the fact that doors had no windows. "I just had one problem with it. I felt like Finnocence was standing just a bit to close to you."_

_"You mean, kind of like you are now?" Rachel countered._

_"Yea, but see, there's a difference." Santana said, softly kissing Rachel's neck. "You actually like it when its me." She whispered. She expertly hid the way she was playing with Rachel's fingers with one hand while subtly pulling Rachel closer to her with the other. Rachel turned her head up to respond and Santana took that opportunity to kiss Rachel. The two stood like that for a few moments before Rachel slightly pulled away._

_"Santana, someone could walk in.," she said._

_"Don't care. Need you." Santana managed to get out, kissing Rachel again. She lifted the smaller girl up onto the piano. Santana moved to stand between Rachel's legs, never breaking the kiss. Rachel instinctively wrapped her legs around Santana's waist. Rachel pulled away to look at Santana._

_"I missed you today." Rachel said. "I mean, I know I saw you in every class, but we couldn't really talk. I was only able to look." She started to say more but was interrupted with Santana kissing her._

_"Rach, I've heard you talk all day. Its time for silence." Santana said. Rachel simply nodded and kissed Santana again. Suddenly, they heard the unmistakable sound of Kurt and Mercedes laughing. Santana quickly jumped back a good five feet, but not without causing her forehead to hit Rachel's mouth. Santana silently swore and Rachel held back a scream in pain. Santana didn't have time to apologize before having to get back into character. Not less than thirty seconds after she put her HBIC face back on did Kurt and Mercedes enter the room._

_"Whoa. Okay, hold up. Santana and Rachel in a room, together, alone, and Rachel is still alive. Did we enter the Twilight Zone or something?" Mercedes asked._

_"Wait a second. Rachel, are you crying?" Kurt commented. "What did she do to you?" he asked._

_"I didn't anything to her Hummel. Man-hands was practicing one of her many solos that she dreams Schue is going to give her and I guess I startled her when I came in because she tripped and hit her mouth on the cymbal of the drum set. Why would I hurt our best chance at Sectionals?" Santana asked, backing up even further._

_"What are you guys doing in here anyway?" Rachel attempted to ask while holding her mouth._

_"I forgot my bag." Mercedes answered._

_"Wheezy, I need to talk to you later about our duet." Santana said. During one of the few times she wasn't watching Rachel, Santana had figured out who she wanted as her duet partner, since Rachel was clearly out of the question._

_"Can we talk about it tonight on the phone, Satan? I have a lot to do right now." Mercedes said._

_"Whatever." Santana said, rolling her eyes. 'That girl had better be prepared to work, because I am winning me some Breadstix.' Santana thought. Mercedes grabbed her bag and the two left._

_"You guys want the door closed? No one really wants to witness if Santana kills Rachel, so…" Kurt trailed off._

_"Just close the door, Kurt." Rachel said. The door soon closed._

_"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Santana asked after making sure they were alone._

_"I think I'll be fine. How's your head?" Rachel asked._

_"Well, I'm not bleeding, so that's a good sign." Santana replied. "I am so sorry. I heard the two of them and I panicked."_

_"San, I'm fine. But we've never come that close to getting caught before." Rachel said._

_"No, we haven't." Santana agreed._

_"We should probably be more careful."_

_"Yea…no, definitely. I totally agree, Rach." Santana said._

_"Why do you have that look in your eye?" Rachel asked._

_"What look?" Santana innocently asked as she slowly walked closer to Rachel who was still on the piano._

_"The look in your eye. The one that says you're about to kiss me." Rachel said as Santana approached._

_"Maybe because I am." Santana whispered, pulling Rachel into a kiss._

_"Santana…"_

_"Yes?" Santana said, smirking at the fact that Rachel could not form a coherent sentence._

_"San…tana. We…have to…stop." Rachel said._

_"Do you want to?"_

_"Of course…not. But we…have to." Rachel said._

_Santana pulled away, causing Rachel to groan even though she had just said they had to stop. She leaned up and whispered in Rachel's ear. "I would never want to force you to do something you didn't want to do, Rachel." She smiled as she felt Rachel shiver._

_"Do you think we'd be missed at Glee?" she quickly asked, causing Santana to laugh._

_"You wouldn't, but I might be." She teased._

_"Just get your stuff." Rachel said. They ended up making lame excuses and sneaking back to Santana's house._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana was knocked out of her daydream by the girl she had just been thinking about sitting down next to her. She instantly smiled, as she always found herself doing when Rachel was around.

"Hey." Rachel said.

"Hey."

"You were deep in thought when I came in. What were you thinking about?" Rachel asked.

"The first time we almost got caught." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "Which quickly turned into the first time we slept together." Rachel's smile grew even wider.

"Okay guys. Who wants to go first today?" Will asked. Santana was about to raise her hand when Principal Figgins came in.

"Schue, this young lady is looking for one of your students."

Everyone looked at the girl. Santana immediately recognized her. "Alyssa?"

"Santana!"

"How do you guys know each other?" Rachel asked as she watched her girlfriend get up and hug the other girl.

Santana snapped out of her happy moment at that question. "We uh…hung out over the summer." She told her girlfriend.

"Hung out? Gee, thanks a lot Santana." Alyssa said. She looked at Rachel. "Santana is my girlfriend."

"Wait, Santana is your _what_?" Rachel asked. Everyone else was silent.

"Oh…San, I am so sorry. Do they not know…?" Alyssa trailed off.

"They know." She replied, not looking at either girl.

"Then what's the big deal?" Alyssa asked.

"Alyssa-"

"Santana's actually _my_ girlfriend." Rachel said, trying to meet Santana's eyes.

"Excuse me?" Alyssa asked. "San, what is going on?"

"Alyssa, I broke up with you at the end of summer." Santana explained.

"I don't remember that." Alyssa said.

"I couldn't find you, so I wrote you a letter. Your brother was supposed to give it to you." Santana said.

"I guess it never made it home, because I never got it." Alyssa replied.

"Well, its been over for months. I…I moved on. I have been with Rachel since the beginning of October." Santana said.

Alyssa nodded. "Okay…well I probably should've called before coming here, because this is extremely awkward."

"Well, I mean, we could still hang out while you're in town." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds great. Rachel, you could come too. We could all hang out at Santana's house." Alyssa said.

"Thank you for inviting me to my own house." Rachel snapped. Alyssa looked confused.

"Rachel, chill. She doesn't know." Santana turned to Alyssa. "My parents died about a month ago and Rachel's parents are letting me live with them. Anyway, why don't you come over around 7?" she gave Alyssa the address of the Berry house. The girl soon left.

After Glee Club, Rachel hurried out to her car. Santana continuously apologized the entire way home. At 7, Alyssa was at the house. Rachel's dads were at a work conference for two weeks. Soon, they were all hanging out in the living room. Santana went upstairs to look for something. Alyssa came and sat on the couch.

"I want you to know that I have every intention of getting her back." She said.

"Excuse me?" Rachel said.

"You heard me. Santana will be mine by the end of the week, I guarantee you."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Rachel asked. Hearing Santana come back downstairs, Alyssa suddenly kissed Rachel. When she heard Santana abruptly stop she pulled away.

"Rachel! You are Santana's girlfriend you cannot kiss me!" Alyssa said.

"Rach, what the hell?" Santana said.

"Santana, no. Think back to earlier today. Remember the talk we had? About Drake?" Rachel said.

"Yea I do. Why did you kiss Alyssa?"

"I didn't kiss her!" Rachel could not bear to look at the hurt in Santana's eyes "She said she wants you back and she has every intention of getting you!"

"Rachel, there's no way that is true. Alyssa, why don't you come up to my room? We can hang out there." Santana said, going back upstairs. Rachel decided to go for a ten-minute drive.

"I can't believe her." Santana said.

"You know, if you were still with me, it never would've happened." Alyssa said, sitting extremely close to her.

"Excuse me?" Rachel pulled into her driveway, feeling a little better. She walked up the drive, looked up into Santana's room, and saw Santana and Alyssa kissing. What she did not see as she ran inside, was Santana pull and away and slap Alyssa. "What do you think you are doing?" She said.

"I'm just saying, maybe Rachel isn't the one for you after all." Rachel ran up the stairs and started to head for her room to cry, but stopped outside her door when she heard yelling.

"Oh my god! She was so right about you. Yes, she's the one for me! Alyssa, get something through your head and then get OUT! I am in love with Rachel. Not you. I was never in love with you and never will be in love with you. I'll be with her for the rest of my life. And I never want to see you again. Now get out!" Santana screamed. Rachel heard the door open and jumped inside her room just in time. She saw Alyssa get pushed out of the room and Santana follow her downstairs. She flinched when she heard the door slam, and closed her door and jumped in her bed when she heard Santana run back up the stairs. Santana did not even bother knocking on the door before coming in. She quickly laid down next to Rachel and pulled her into a hug. "I am so sorry I did not believe you." she said. "If it makes you feel better, I slapped her."

Rachel smiled. "A little bit, actually."

"I can't believe that even after we just had this happen earlier today, it happened again." Santana said.

"Yeah, well. No matter how many tests the world throws at us, we're just going to keep beating them. Once we're out of Lima and living in New York together, things will get better." Rachel promised.

"You want me to go to New York with you?" Santana asked.

"Of course…you didn't know that?"

"We've never really talked about it."

"Santana Lopez, I want you with me everyday for the rest of my life." Rachel said.

"I wants you too Rachel Berry. I wants you bad." Santana smiled.

"You do realize you're ruining this with your fake gangster talk, right?"

"You see, you say that, but I think that it actually just turns you on." Santana smirked.

"Maybe." Rachel said, hiding her smiled. Santana smirked and kissed Rachel. "Thank God your dads aren't home tonight, because I'm about to have me some Rachel Berry." Santana whispered.

_Rachel woke up. She took a moment to wake up, then smiled at the girl next to her. She leaned down to kiss Santana, only to realize that Santana wasn't breathing. _"_Santana?" she whispered. When she did not receive an answer, she quickly checked the girl's pulse. Nothing. _"_Santana!" she yelled. Nothing. _"_No. Santana, please wake up!" Rachel said. Santana didn't move._

Rachel woke up and covered her mouth with her hand. She quickly looked down at the girl next to her. "San?" she whispered. She didn't receive a response, so she quickly went to check the other girl's pulse. Apparently she'd been _too_ quick, because Santana jumped at Rachel's touch.

"What happened?" she muttered sleepily.

"Just checking to make sure you had a pulse." Rachel said.

Santana looked at her incredulously. "I have a pulse, Rach."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because I'm talking to you." Santana said. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry. I just…I had a nightmare. I woke up and you weren't breathing and you had no pulse. It scared me, that's all." Rachel explained.

"Rachel, its okay. I mean, it was just a dream. I'm still here." Santana comforted her.

"You 're right. I overreacted, that's all." Rachel said. They heard a car door slam. "What was that?" she asked, leaning closer to Santana.

"No idea. Your dads aren't supposed to be home for two more weeks." Santana said, getting up. "I'll go check."

"There is no way I am staying up here by myself. I'm going with you. Grab that bat." Rachel said.

Santana looked at it. "Uh…you don't play sports. What are you doing with a baseball bat?"

"Over the summer, Finn took me to the batting cages. I went about six times and used six different bats, convinced it was the bat, not me. I hit exactly one ball and I was using that bat, so Finn bought it for me." Rachel explained.

Santana nodded. "Yea, it was definitely the bats." She grabbed it.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Just go." They carefully walked downstairs, Santana in front. They walked to the front hallway and saw a figure outside the front door.

"Santana!" they heard a voice say.

Santana recognized the voice. "Wait…Alyssa?" Rachel rolled her eyes. Santana went and opened the front door. "What are you doing here? I told you to leave."

"Well, you pushed me out so fast, that I left my purse." Alyssa said.

"I'll go get it." Rachel said. Alyssa attempted to walk in, but Santana pointed the bat in her direction.

"Stay." she said. The girl obliged.

Rachel soon returned with the purse. "Here." She handed it to her. Santana attempted to close the door. "Wait." Alyssa said.

"Yea, I don't think so." Santana said.

"Wait, San. Let's hear what she has to say." Rachel said.

Santana gave in. "Fine. But only because Rachel wants to." She said.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did." Alyssa said.

"Okay…" Santana said.

"But, just so you know, I wouldn't be opposed to being in a relationship with both of you." she continued.

Santana and Rachel looked at each other. "OK, goodbye." Rachel said. Santana closed the door. Rachel reached up and played with the top of Santana's ponytail. "Please tell me that that was just some summer fling." She said.

"I needed someone to make out with over the summer." Santana said.

"Am I just some fling?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head. "What am I then?" Rachel asked, smiling.

Santana pulled her close. "You're my Rachel."

Rachel smiled even wider. "I like that."

"I like you." Santana said.

"I _love_ you." Rachel countered.

"I love you too."

"I thought you just liked me." Rachel teased.

"Shut up." Santana said.

Rachel sighed. "Fine." She dropped her hand from Santana's hair to her neck.

"Are you tired?" Santana asked.

"What makes you say that?" Rachel asked.

"Because first, you never let me get away with telling you to shut up, and second, you never give up our flirty fighting that quickly or that easily." Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "A little bit." She admitted.

"Okay. Let's go to bed." The two started walking down the hallway, but Rachel quickly walked into the wall. Santana bit back laughter. "Oh my god. Are you…are you okay?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

Rachel nodded. "Yea. That just really hurt."

Santana looked at the girl in front of her. "Come here." She said. Rachel walked over to her. Santana pulled her onto her back.

"What are you doing?" Rachel yawned.

"Giving you a piggy-back ride upstairs. I don't want to explain to your fathers why you broke your neck falling downstairs." Santana said. Rachel nodded. Santana made her way up the stairs and to Rachel's room. She gently lowered the now sleeping girl onto the bed and pulled the comforter on her. She decided to go check her phone. She instantly regretted it. She had three missed calls and about ten text messages. They were all from Alyssa. They said:

**Can't we talk about this?**

**Come on, Santana. It was just a joke!**

**Santana, I love you! **

**Please talk to me.**

**This isn't how its supposed to be.**

**We're supposed to be together.**

**One day you're going to realize your mistake!**

**You're going to regret this, Lopez!**

**I'm totally willing to wait for you!**

The last one really set Santana's anger off.

**Santana, how can you choose the ugly little Glee Club geek over me? I mean, I'm way hotter and way more in your league than she can ever even ****think**** of dreaming about. Come to your senses, San!**

_Oh she did not just insult my Rachel that way._ Santana thought. If she hadn't been in the same room as Rachel was sleeping in, Santana would've called Alyssa and yelled at her. As soon as she looked over at the sleeping girl, she instantly calmed down. Suddenly, Rachel's eyes fluttered open.

"San? Are you okay?" she muttered.

Santana nodded. "Yea, Rach. I'm fine."

"You look angry."

"Just some stupid texts from Alyssa." Santana said.

"What do they say?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing important. Just that I'm going to regret not choosing her." Santana said. Rachel held out her hand for the phone. Santana reluctantly handed it over. She watched Rachel's eyes move, knowing which message she was reading.

"So are you going to?" Rachel asked.

"Huh?" Santana said, genuinely confused.

"Come to your senses." Rachel clarified.

"I did, Rachel. When you and I first got together." Santana said. She climbed into the bed. "Look, she doesn't matter anymore." Rachel nodded, drifting back to sleep and turned over to her other side, her back to Santana. Normally, Santana would have been offended, but she knew that was the only comfortable way for Rachel to sleep. Santana leaned over. "Always remember that you are my star." She recited quietly in Rachel's ear.

"I am your star." Rachel repeated, smiling.

"_Te amo, mi estrella_." Santana said in Spanish.

"I love you too, my love." Rachel said.

"Go back to sleep, baby." Santana whispered. Rachel nodded and pulled Santana so that the taller girl's arms were wrapped around her waist.

"I want you _here_." Rachel muttered

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Santana said. Finals week went by extremely slowly for Santana and Rachel. Mr. Schue cancelled Glee Club rehearsal until the new semester started. Of course, Rachel pitched a fit, saying they needed to rehearse for Regionals. On the last day of the semester, Santana and Rachel pulled up to the house. They were surprised to find that Rachel's dads were home. There was also an unfamiliar car in the driveway.

"I wonder who's here.' Rachel commented. Santana shrugged her shoulders and followed her girlfriend inside.

"Dad? Daddy?" Rachel called.

"In the living room, girls." They heard Leroy say. They went into the living room.

"Girls, this is Mr. Smith. He was Santana's parents lawyer." Hiram said. Santana looked up at the mention of her parents.

Mr. Smith looked at Santana. "Ms. Lopez, we recently learned that your father's mother is actually still alive."

"She is? I thought she died years ago." Santana said. Rachel gave her a weird look. "My dad didn't get along with her." She explained.

"Anyway, while she realizes that it would be better for you to remain in Lima for the duration of your high school years, she would like it if you were to come spend a week with her before Christmas." Mr. Smith said.

"As in, next week?" Santana asked.

"As in, tomorrow." Mr. Smith said.

"I…I guess I could do that. If its okay with the Berrys." Santana said.

"Of course its, sweetie." Leroy said. Santana went upstairs and packed. The next day, Santana got in her car and drove the three hours to her grandmother's house. When she got there, she hesitated before going inside. Finally, she got out of her car and walked to the front door. Before she could even ring the doorbell, the front door swung open. Standing in front of her was her grandmother, who she hadn't seen since she was about eight years old.

"Santana, you're all grown up." Her grandmother said.

"Hi, grandma." Santana said, smiling shyly. She was ushered inside and she and her grandmother spent the rest of the night catching up. That night before she went to bed, she texted Rachel.

**To: Rachel**

**Hey beautiful. I miss you so much. :) **

**OMG! Hi! –R**

**Oh wow. I guess you miss me too? –S**

**Of course I do. How's it going at your grandmother's? –Rach**

**Its fine. Its going great, actually. We literally just spent like four hours talking. -San**

**I am so glad you're getting the chance to reconnect with her. –Rach.**

**So am I, Rach. The only bad thing is that I'm away from you for a long time. –San**

**Its just for a week, San. Not eternity. –Rach**

**Yea, but I needs my Rachel Berry fix! And anyway, it feels like eternity! And its only been ONE day. –San**

**I'm sure you'll be fine for a week, Santana. You're going to be having so much fun, you won't even remember to think about thinking about me. –Rach**

**I'm always thinking about you, Rachel. –San**

**Awwww…..that's so sweet. Does…does your grandmother know about us? –Rach**

**No. I didn't tell her. I haven't seen her in years. Please don't be mad. –San**

**I totally understand. Baby steps, right? –Rach**

**Yea. I want to tell her, I just want to give her time, you know? –San**

**Yea. –Rach**

**You okay? –San**

**Yea, I'm fine. I just…. –Rach**

**You just…..what? –San**

**I wish you were here to kiss me. ;) –Rach**

**Me too, baby girl. Me too….ugh! Rach, I hadn't even thought of that. Thank you so much for bringing that up. Now I may have to cry myself to sleep! :) –San**

**Awwww…poor baby. I'm sorry. :( –Rach**

**Its okay. –San **

**I can make it up to you when you get home… ;) –Rach.**

**You better, little girl. –San.**

**Can't wait. ;p –Rach**

**Me either ;) Ugh…I should probably go to sleep, huh? –San**

**You've had a long day, baby. –Rach**

**But I don't want to stop talking to you :( –San**

**I don't either, but you do need your sleep lol. –Rach**

**All right. I guess you're right…fine I'll go to sleep then. I love you :) –San**

**:) I love you too baby. Good night! –Rach**

**Night baby girl. –San**

When Santana woke up the next morning, she decided to go out for a run. She left her phone on the kitchen counter. Her grandmother was in the kitchen when Santana's phone went off. Curious, her grandmother picked up the phone. The text message said:

**New Message**

**Rachel**

**Woke up this morning and completely freaked out when you weren't next to me. I miss you and I love you baby!**

When Santana returned from her run she entered the kitchen. "Hey Grandma. What are you cooking?"

"I was going to make you pancakes. I remembered you like them. Is there something you would like to tell me?" Santana saw the phone in her hand.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Santana asked.

"You left it on the counter and it went off. I looked over to see what it was and saw this text message." Santana took the phone and read Rachel's message. She closed her eyes.

"I was going to tell you." Santana said.

"When?"

She opened her eyes. "I wanted to give you time to get to know me again before I dropped that bomb."

"Santana, you can't be in a relationship with another girl."

"But I love her."

"Don't say that!" her grandmother yelled. She calmed herself down. "You're going to call that girl right now and tell her that you don't want to speak to her for awhile." She said in a quieter tone.

"I can't do that. It'll break her heart, which means it'll break mine." Santana protested.

"This is not a discussion, Santana. You are under my roof."

Santana stared at her grandmother for a second. She looked down on her phone and walked over and sat on the couch. "Fine." She dialed Rachel's number. _Please don't pick up, Rachel._ She thought. She had no such luck

"_Hey San_!" she heard the cheery voice of her girlfriend say.

"Hey Rach." Santana said. Her grandmother made a 'get on with it' gesture. Santana swallowed.

"_What's up baby_?" Rachel said.

"Rach, listen. I was thinking…maybe we should like cool off for a bit." Santana said, closing her eyes.

_"Wait…what?"_

"Maybe we should use my trip as a chance to see what its like without each other. And like, not talk while I'm gone." Santana said.

_"Santana, where is this coming from?" _Rachel asked.

"I just…I think its what's best, Rachel." Santana said.

_"…Fine. I guess I'll see you when you get back, then." _Rachel said, hanging up the phone_._

"Happy?" Santana said to her grandmother.

"Sweetie, I know you hate me right now, but I'm doing this because I love you." her grandmother said.

"Fine. Whatever." Santana walked to her room and cried. The next few days went by really slowly for Santana. Her grandmother took away her phone and her computer so she couldn't talk to Rachel. Santana was furious. She would have called Rachel on her grandmother's house phone, but there was no long distant calling. Plus, Rachel never picked up the phone if she did not recognize the number.

Finally, it was time for Santana to go home. As her grandmother handed over the phone and computer, she said something. "Now, sweetie, just because you're back in Lima doesn't mean you _have _to talk to that girl."

"Okay, I was totally excited about seeing you again, but this kind of ruined the trip. You've been back in my life for all of a week. You don't know me and you can't tell me who to be or who to date." Santana said.

"I'm only trying to help."

"I think you honestly believe that. But that's not how I see it." Santana said. She hugged her grandmother goodbye and got in her car. She had considered calling Rachel on the road, but doubted the girl would even pick up. She just had to wait out the three-hour car drive. The drive gave her time to think about what she would do when she saw Rachel again.

Rachel hadn't stopped crying since her phone call with Santana. Various Glee Club members, such as Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn, Tina, and Brittany had come over to try to comfort her. No one could say anything to make her feel better. She looked at her clock and realized that she had about two hours until Santana was supposed to be home. She decided that she needed to make herself look extremely hot so Santana would feel bad. She sat on the edge of her bed when she heard Santana's car pull into the driveway. She listened as she heard her dads happily greet the girl. _Traitors. _She thought as she heard Santana noisily climb the stairs. There was a knock at her door.

"Come in.," she said, trying to sound as if she was busy. Santana entered.

"Hi." Santana whispered Rachel saw her eyes go up and down checking Rachel out. Santana leaned up against the door, subtly locking the door, and slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, hello Santana. I had no idea you were back already." Rachel said. She began to feel uneasy as Santana stood there, staring at her. Suddenly, she felt Santana's weight on her. "What are you doing?" Rachel said, attempting to push Santana off of her. Santana proved to be stronger, however, and hungrily kissed Rachel.

"I missed you baby girl." Santana said.

"What?" Rachel asked. This was not the attitude she had had on the phone.

"Never wanted to make that call." Santana muttered.

"Then why did you?" Rachel asked.

"Grandma's a homophobe. She read our texts and made me make the call. She was in the room and everything. Then she took my phone and computer away." Santana said. "I never wanted to hurt you. It broke my heart knowing I'd caused you pain and that I couldn't do anything to fix it then. I hated myself for it." Santana said.

Rachel was silent for a moment. "She read the message I sent you? I am so sorry, San."

"Don't be. She needed to find out somehow." Santana said.

Rachel buried her head in Santana's shoulder. "I thought you'd met someone else or something."

"Never." Santana said, holding Rachel. "_You_ are my star, baby."

"And you are my…Cheerio…that sounded really lame." Rachel laughed.

"Yea, it did. But it was true. Because you best not be having another Cheerio unless its in cereal form, woman." Santana said.

"I would never even allow the thought to cross my mind." Rachel said.

"Good." Santana said. She sat there for a moment looking at Rachel. She leaned down and gently kissed her. Rachel smiled up at her.

"Hi." Rachel whispered.

"Hey there, pretty girl." Santana whispered back.

"Have you noticed how you have so many nicknames for me and I only have _'San'_ and _'baby'_ and the occasional _'sweetie'_ or _'honey'_ for you?" Rachel asked.

"That's because Santana Lopez doesn't do being called many nicknames. But she definitely likes calling you names." Santana said.

"Is she going to stop talking in third person?" Rachel asked.

"Sure. Anyway, that's all the nicknames I need. I don't generally do nicknames. But you like my nicknames for you, right?" Santana asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course I do, San. I love it when you call me '_mi amor_' or _'pretty girl'_ or _'beautiful'_. My favorites are probably _'baby girl'_ and _'mi estrella'" _Rachel said.

"Mine too." Santana agreed, smiling down. Rachel leaned up and kissed Santana softly. Santana and Rachel stayed on Rachel's bed making out for a while. Not letting go of Rachel, Santana rolled over so that all of her weight was not on Rachel. "Hey, Rachel, what was up with the Christmas tree I saw in your living room? I thought you were Jewish." Santana said.

"I am. Well, I'm half-Jewish. My dad is Christian. We don't generally do that much for Christmas, but since you're here, we're doing a bit more than usual." Rachel explained.

"You guys don't have to go to all that trouble." Santana protested.

"Whatever. Its not like I mind. More presents for me." Rachel joked.

"Speaking of presents, it _is_ Christmas Eve." Santana said.

"Yes, I got you a present, San. You don't need to worry." Rachel teased.

"That's not what I meant. Do you want yours now?" Santana asked. Rachel eagerly nodded. Santana briefly left the room and came back with a bag. Rachel took it when Santana offered it to her. She took out the tissue paper and looked inside. There was a book in it. She pulled it out. On the cover was a picture of herself and Santana with the caption '_Rachel and Santana forever_._' _Rachel looked up at Santana. "I had originally wanted to make it myself, but then I had to go to my grandmother's house, so I asked Q to make it while I was gone." Santana said.

"I think a scrapbook is an amazing idea for a gift. It really allows one to express how much a person means to them and-" Rachel was cut off by Santana kissing her.

"So much more effective than slushies." Santana whispered. Rachel nodded in agreement. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel again. "Why don't you open it?" she whispered. Rachel nodded opened the book. Inside were a bunch of pictures. Most of them were of Santana and herself that they had taken through the course of their relationship, but some were pictures that Santana had taken during Glee rehearsal. There were even some of Santana and Rachel arguing in Glee Club.

"Britt took those with my phone for no reason at all." Santana said.

"I think its cute." Rachel said.

"In that case they were taken on purpose." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled.

"There's one more thing." Santana said. She handed Rachel a picture frame. It was one of those picture frames with two sides available. One side was a picture of Santana giving a Rachel a piggyback ride. The other was of the two of them sitting together. Rachel was sitting between Santana's legs and Santana was holding her closely. They looked as if they were deep in conversation. Neither girl was looking at the camera in either picture, but they were looking into each other's eyes. Both girls were smiling and laughing in both pictures.

Rachel looked up at Santana. "When were these taken?" she asked. They looked to be taken on the same day.

"Remember that outdoor concert we went to with your dads and my parents about a month after we started dating?" Santana explained. Rachel nodded.

"Where did you find them?" Rachel asked.

"I found them when we were cleaning out my parents house after they died." Santana said softly.

Rachel smiled softly. "Thanks, sweetheart." She whispered. Santana smiled and sat down next to her.

"I made copies. They're going on my wall in my room." She said, kissing Rachel.

"They're adorable." Rachel said. "I love it, San. Thank you."

"No problem, baby." Santana smiled. She leaned down and kissed Rachel. Rachel got up and opened her closet.

"Okay, so you're going to think I am really cheesy." Rachel said. She pulled out three picture frames. One had a picture of the two. The second was the same picture, but it had been drawn in black and white. The third was another drawing, but this one was in color.

"Sorry they are'nt wrapped. I was thinking you could hang them in your room, if you wanted." Rachel said. "Its totally cheesy isn't it?"

"Rach, I love it. Where did you get these drawn?" Santana asked.

"Mike Chang."

"Mike can draw? Since when?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I have something else." She went back into her closet and pulled out a multi-picture frame. Every picture frame was filled with a picture of the two girls together in various places, like Rachel's car, Santana's car, and each other's rooms.

"I love them, Rach. Thank you." Santana hugged her girlfriend.

"Merry Christmas, baby." Rachel said.

"You too, sweetie." Santana replied. "Wow. My wall is going to be filled with pictures of us." She said.

"Are you okay with that?" Rachel said.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Santana said, hugging Rachel. "By the way, I'm taking you out to dinner tonight if you don't have plans with your dads."

"I'd love too. We can even go to Breadstix if you want." Rachel said. Santana smiled. "And on an unhappier note, what did you say to your grandmother when you left?" Rachel asked.

"She told me that going back to Lima didn't mean I had to talk to you and I told her that she totally ruined my trip and that after being out of my life for eight years she had no right to tell me how to live my life." Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "I'm sorry that you didn't get the chance to tell her."

Santana shook her head. "Its not your fault. She shouldn't have been looking through my phone."

"True." Rachel agreed.

"And anyway, I don't want to keep us a secret. Not anymore." Santana said.

Rachel smiled. "Baby, you 'e so awesome."

"I know." Santana smiled. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"How did I end up with someone so modest?" She asked sarcastically.

"You got incredibly lucky." Santana said.

"Whatever. I believe you promised me a dinner date?" Rachel asked.

"And I believe _you_ promised me Breadstix." Santana said.

"Well, I'm hungry." Rachel said.

"Ok. We can go now if you want. Are you going to change first?" Santana said.

"Why would I change my clothes?" Rachel asked.

"I mean…" Santana trailed off.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Rachel asked. "I thought it looked good."

"It does. _Trust _me, it does." Santana said.

"Then why can't I wear it?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to see you look this hot." Santana said.

Rachel smiled. "Why not?"

"Because you're _mine_. Duh." Santana said.

"San, you have nothing to worry about." Rachel said.

"I know, but I really don't want to have to beat the crap out of anybody who checks you out." Santana said.

"Baby, if it makes you feel better, I'll change my outfit." Rachel said.

"Good idea. I'll go change out of my sweats." Santana said. "But, uh, don't completely throw that outfit of your wardrobe. Its definitely a favorite of mine." Santana smirked and left the room. About thirty minutes later, they were on their way to dinner. As Santana was a regular at Breadstix, and she was Santana Lopez after all, they were seated pretty quickly. "So what did you while I was gone?" Santana asked.

"Well, the day _before_ you called me, I hung out with Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes. The days after you made the call, I cried." Rachel said.

"Rach, I am so sorry." Santana said.

"Santana, please. I know it wasn't because of you and I really don't want to ruin our Christmas Eve dinner with sour memories. You're here now and that's all that matters." Rachel said.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." Santana said.

Rachel smiled. "You're the love of my life."

"After all the stuff we've gone through this past semester, I know that you're the love of my life, too." Santana said. She reached across the table and grabbed Rachel's hand. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few moments, Santana playing with Rachel's fingers. Rachel opened her mouth to speak when they heard someone clearing their throat

"Are you guys ready to order?"

Santana looked up. "_Drake_?"

"Santana." He said.

"You _work_ here?" Rachel asked, not even bothering to hide her disgust.

"Yep. Anyway, Santana, I was thinking maybe when school starts up again, you and I could finish that tour."

"Hmm…let me think. How about no?" Santana said.

"Come on, Santana. Are you really going to waste your time with _her_?" he asked, gesturing towards Rachel.

"You are so out of line." Santana yelled. The manager came over.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked.

"Yea, your waiter over here is trying to talk about things that don't involve him. And I'd appreciate it if he didn't insult my girlfriend in front of us. I'd like another waiter please. Otherwise, we're leaving." Santana said.

"Drake, go work on your other tables. You don't mess with Santana Lopez here." The manager said. Santana smirked at him.

"Whatever." Drake said walking away. As he walked away he "accidentally" knocked a pitcher of water on Rachel. "My bad." He said.

"You son of-" Santana said.

"San. Please don't. It is fine. Can we please just leave?" Rachel said.

"Sure." Santana said, getting up.

"Ms. Lopez, I am so sorry."

"Its okay, as long as he isn't working here next time I come in." Santana said, walking out.

"I can say with certainty that will be the case." He said.

"Excellent." Santana said. As they got in the car, Santana looked at Rachel. "Are you okay?" Rachel nodded.

"Guess its a good thing I didn't wear that other outfit." She said.

"Why not?"

"Because a, the pants was expensive, and b, the shirt was yours." Rachel said sheepishly.

"I thought that the shirt looked familiar." Santana said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Are you mad at me?" Rachel asked.

"No. It looked good on you." Santana said.

"Good. Because I wouldn't have given it back to you anyway." Rachel said.

"Rachel Berry, you're such a little brat." Santana teased.

"Santana Lopez, I am offended by that." Rachel said.

"Awesome." Santana said, not the least bit worried.

"What? You don't care that you offended me?" Rachel said.

"Rachel."

"Yes?"

"Did I really offend you?" Santana asked, throwing Rachel a side-glance.

"Yes." Rachel said, looking out the window.

"Rachel." Santana was met with silence. '_Did I actually offend her?_' Santana thought to herself. "Rachel?" More silence. Santana looked at Rachel. "Rach, baby, come on." When Rachel still would not respond, Santana began to get worried. She stopped at a red light.

"Rachel, sweetie, come on. Talk to me." Santana said. "Please baby." Rachel continued to look out the window and shook her head. Santana gently turned Rachel's head back towards her to find that the girl was smiling. "What the...?" Santana trailed off. Rachel kissed her.

"Santana, you've called me worse than a brat. Do you really think that that is going to offend me?" Rachel said.

"Rachel Berry. Its Christmas Eve. That's just mean." Santana said.

"Santana, come on. I didn't get my date. I just wanted to have a little fun." Rachel said.

"It's not my fault that you didn't get your date, little girl. Don't take it out on me." Santana said.

"But it's so much fun, sweetie." Rachel smiled.

"_You_ are a devious little diva." Santana smirked.

"Oh please, you love it." Rachel said.

"Yea…yea I do." Santana said. She started driving again. "Its actually kind of hot."

"Really?" Rachel said, smirking.

Santana looked over at Rachel. "Do you want to go to another restaurant?"

"Are you kidding?" Rachel asked. "No. Go home. _Now_." Santana just laughed. "Baby, we have to go to sleep." Rachel said as Santana kissed her. The two were in Rachel's room. Santana had pushed her up against her wall as soon as the door was closed.

"Why?"

"Because the faster we go to sleep, the faster we can wake up and it'll be morning." Rachel said. Santana pulled away quickly and gave her a weird look. "What?" Rachel asked.

"The faster we go to sleep, the faster we can wake up in the morning?" Santana repeated

"Yeah and…? It's Christmas Eve, San." Rachel replied.

"Rachel, please do _not_ tell me you still believe in Santa Claus." Santana said.

"What if I were to tell you that _you_ are my Santa Claus?" Rachel said.

Santana just looked at Rachel. "Uh…no." they said at the same time, laughing.

"But seriously, Rachel, do you believe in Santa Claus?" Santana asked.

"Is that such a big deal? Your best friend does." Rachel said.

"You do realize you are comparing yourself to a girl who believed a comb had magic powers, right?" Santana said.

"Relax, Santana. I don't believe in Santa Claus." Rachel said.

"Thank God." Santana said, and she began to resume kissing Rachel. She frowned as the smaller girl pulled away.

"However, I do plan on waking up early in the morning." Rachel continued.

"I haven't done that since I was about ten years old, Rachel." Santana said.

"Well, you're going to be doing again tomorrow." Rachel replied

"Rachel, if you wake me up with your insane morning routine, your Christmas won'tt be so merry." Santana threatened.

"Please, all I have to do is kiss you and you'll be happy." Rachel said.

"Try me." Santana said. "And I can guarantee you that I can hold out longer than you can."

"Oh really?"

Santana nodded. "We broke up. _You_ came running back to _me_."

"Homecoming. _You_ pulled _me_ away from Finn, a.k.a. my date, every time." Rachel countered. The two held defiant glares. Santana looked away first and Rachel took that opportunity to sit on her bed. "San?" Rachel asked. Santana had not looked back "San, baby what's wrong?" Santana sat down on the bed, still not looking at Rachel. Rachel began to get worried.

"Do you miss it?" Santana asked.

"Do I miss it…miss what, baby?" Rachel asked.

Santana mumbled something Rachel could not hear. It had sounded like she had said _'Tinsel'_ but Rachel knew that was not the case. "Baby, I'm sorry, but what did you say? I couldn't hear you."

"Finchel." Santana said simply, looking at her finally.

"Finchel? Of course not. I mean, Finn and I are still friends, but I don't like him that way anymore."

"What about Puckleberry? Or even St. Berry?" Santana asked.

"No, I don't miss…wait. You guys actually named Jesse and I _St_. _Berry_?" Rachel asked.

"Well we couldn't think of a way to put Jesse and Rachel together. Thus, 'St. Berry' was born." Santana explained.

"Well, what do they call us?" Rachel asked.

"Pezberry." Santana replied.

"Well, no, I don't miss Puckleberry or St. Berry." Rachel said.

"What's your favorite couple name that you've had?" Santana asked. "Note that I'm not asking you what your favorite relationship you've had."

"My favorite relationship name was probably 'Puckleberry.' It reminded me of my favorite book, _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_." Rachel said. "But this," she began gesturing towards them. "Is my favorite relationship by far."

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Your favorite book is _Huck Finn_? I thought it would have been the complete biography of Barbra Streisand."

"That's my second favorite book." Rachel said, pointing at her bookshelf.

"Wait a second. You…you actually own Barbra Streisand's biography?" Rachel nodded. "Oh my god. I was totally just teasing you. But you actually went out and bought Barbra Streisand's biography." Santana said.

"And her autobiography." Rachel said.

"Wh…why?" Santana asked.

"What? You don't?" Rachel asked.

"N...no. Not…not really. And I would expect most people don't." Santana said, smiling slightly. _'Barbra Streisand isn't in anyone else's wheelhouse.' _She thought.

"Jesse has them." Rachel said. Santana arched an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

"Do I look like Jesse? No, I don't. He has a mini Jerry curl thing going on and frankly he looks an awful lot like Mr. Schue. I definitely don't. Plus, I'm way hotter than St. James. " Santana said.

"Oh baby you know I'm just kidding. Well not about Barbra. He actually does have both books." She said.

"How did we not know he is gay?" Santana asked.

"Shut up." Rachel replied. The two were silent for a moment. "You know, I actually kind of like the name Pezberry."

"Yeah well, you better like it, because its the couple mash up name you're going to be stuck with for a really long time, little lady." Santana said.

"It sounds as if you've been thinking about this." Rachel commented. Santana shrugged. "Do you think that we have a future outside of high school and outside of Lima?" Rachel asked.

"Of course I do, Ray. I totally want to go to New York with you if you want me there." Santana said.

"Sweetie, you know I want you there with me every step of the way." Rachel said.

"_Mi bonita mi bebé, mi princesa,__mi estrella, mi amor de mi vida,_ my Rachel. I wouldn't go anywhere else." Santana said, smiling. Rachel smiled back. She loved it when Santana lovingly called her names in Spanish and she loved it when Santana referred to Rachel as hers. Santana was very much aware of this fact, which is why she so often did it. "But it is nice to be asked, once in awhile. At least, that's what you told me when we got together." She continued. Rachel rolled her eyes and got down on one knee. "I didn't appreciate the eye roll. It makes me feel as if you are mocking me." Santana said.

Rachel ignored her and took Santana's hands in her own. "Santana Lopez, when we graduate, will you go to New York City with me?" Rachel asked.

"Of course I will you goof." Santana said, laughing. Rachel stood up and kissed her.

"_Te amo __mi niña __bonita_." Santana said.

"_Yo tambien te amo mi_ Cheerio" Rachel replied. Santana pulled away and looked at her.

"Since when do you speak Spanish?"

"You're always saying you love me in Spanish. I always have to reply in English. I learned that so that I could say it to you for a change." Rachel said.

"Well keep doing it _porque es muy caliente_." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed her again.

"I'll do my best." Rachel said. Rachel allowed Santana to sleep in on Christmas morning, which Santana greatly appreciated. Two days before New Year's Eve, Puck sent Santana a text.

**New Message**

**Puck**

**Mom won't leave the house this year. Need a place to hold party! **

'_I can't have New Year's Eve without a New Year's Eve party.' _Santana thought

**Let me talk to Rachel. –S**

'_Time to turn on charming Santana._' She thought. She walked down the hall to Rachel's room. She smiled a genuine smile as she saw Rachel leaned over a notebook while sitting on her bed. "Hey baby." She said, kissing the top of Rachel's head and pushing a strand of hair out of the smaller girl's face. Rachel looked up and smiled brightly.

"Hey." She said. She looked back down to her notebook.

"What are you working on?" Santana asked, sitting down in Rachel's desk chair. She was purposely sitting far away from Rachel.

"I was just writing another song. I was thinking we could do original songs at Regionals this year." Rachel said.

"I think that that's a fantastic idea, Ray." Santana said.

"All right. What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Uh…what?" Santana asked.

"What do you want, San?" Rachel said. That threw Santana off a bit.

"Wha…What? What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"You obviously want something, Santana."

"What makes you say that?"

"Since when do you say the word fantastic without certain other word that begins with the letter 'F' which I am not going to repeat." Rachel said.

Santana looked down. She had been caught. "Okay…Puck's mom won't let him have his annual New Year's Eve Party at his house this year. I figured that since your dads are going to that party and will be gone that entire weekend, we could hold the party this year." Santana said.

"San, I don't think that is a good idea." Rachel said.

"Rachel…come on. Its just one little party."

"A Noah Puckerman party. Noah Puckerman parties are never little. Last time we went to one, I practically got…" Rachel trailed off.

Santana knew exactly what she meant. She walked over and sat down on the bed. "I know sweetie. But Marshall won't get anywhere near this house. And if he somehow does, I will drop kick him so hard he won't be able to remember his middle name."

Rachel looked down. "San, I still don't know if this is a good idea."

"Rach, I promise, it'll be fine." Santana assured her girlfriend.

Rachel sighed. "I…I guess its okay."

Sensing the girl's hesitation, Santana pulled Rachel into a hug. "It'll be fun, Rachel."

"San, you promise Marshall won't be there?"

"Of course I do, honey. There's no way he's getting anywhere near you." Santana said.

"Okay. I guess as long as I have you there to protect me, I can be okay with the party." Rachel said.

"Is that what you are scared of?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "My sweet girl, of course I'll protect you. I'll never let anything happen to you. You know that." Santana reassured Rachel.

"Yea, I know, but sometimes things happen when you go to the bathroom or things like that. I'm not worried about what will happen when you and I are together. I'm worried about what would happen when one of us steps away for a second." Rachel said.

"Baby, how long have you been feeling like this?" Santana asked.

"Since it first happened." Rachel said.

"With Karofsky?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Baby, that was about a month ago. Sweetie, why didn't you tell me that all this time?"

"I didn't want you to think I was weak." Rachel said.

"Oh _mi estrella_, I could never think that. Ray, you are one of the strongest people I know, if not the strongest. The way you lived with all those comments we put on your MySpace page and said to your face? I never would have been able to stay strong with those comments. But you never let those get to you. In fact, I think they made you stronger." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"So…we can have the party?" Santana asked.

"San!" Rachel laughed. "Yes…we can have the party."

"Sweet! I have to go text Puck." Santana got up to leave the room, but Rachel reached up and pulled her back down. She immediately kissed Santana and pulled her on top of her. "Puck can totally wait." Santana said, smiling against Rachel's lips. Rachel smiled, before gently pushing Santana off of her. "Wha…what? What happened?" Santana asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you had me in your mind at all times." Rachel smiled evilly.

"Rachel Berry, how can you?" Santana said.

"Because I love you and I know that you won't get mad. But aren't you supposed to be texting Puck?" Rachel smirked.

"You little tease." Santana joked.

"I love you, Santana." Rachel said.

"I love you too, Rachel." Santana replied.

"Go text Noah. We have a party to get ready for." Rachel said.

"Please. All we need are a couple of kegs and wine coolers and we'll be good to go." Santana said.

"Just go text him." Santana left the room.

**To: Puck**

**Rachel said we could have the party here. –S**

It only took seconds for the boy to reply.

**New Message**

**Puck**

**Awesome. Wow, you're really changing her, S. **

**A little bit, yeah. –S**

**Whatever. See you New Year's Eve. –Puck**

Santana rolled her eyes and fell onto her bed. She thought back to her conversation with Rachel. She felt like such a jerk. How could she have gone a month without noticing that her girlfriend was terrified beyond belief? She _lived _with the girl after all. She pulled out her phone.

**To: Puck**

**Puckerman, I need you to help ensure that Marshall does not come within ten miles of this house during the party. Rachel doesn't feel safe when he's around or even when she thinks he's around. –San**

**Anything for Rachel. Will do, S. –Puck**

**Gracias. –San**

"Hey Cheerio!" Santana heard as she put her phone down. Rachel was calling her from down the hall. She walked over and opened her door.

"Yea?" she replied.

"Come back." Was the response she received. Santana wasted no time in getting back to the room.

"What's up love?" Santana said.

"I just wanted to apologize." Rachel said.

"Apologize? What did you do?" Santana asked, genuinely confused.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad about what I said. About feeling scared." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you have nothing to apologize for. I should have been more attentive." Santana said.

"San, you love me. I can't ask for anything more."

"I want to protect you from jerks like that." Santana said.

"San, listen to me. No one could have stopped Marshall that day in the hall. He would have found a way to hit me one way or another." Rachel said.

"Please don't say that. I don' even want think about that." Santana said.

"San, we both know its probably true." Rachel continued.

"Rachel shut up!" Santana yelled. Rachel instantly winced. Even when Santana and Rachel had hated each other, Santana had never yelled at her like that before. Santana felt bad, but she did not back down. "God! Why can't you ever just shut up once in awhile?" She tried to ignore the hurt and tears in Rachel's eyes and left the room, knowing that Rachel jumped when she slammed the door. She walked back to her own room, allowing the tears to fall as she thought about what could have happened if Puck and Finn had not shown up when they did. She fell back onto the bed, sobbing. '_God, I am such a jerk_.' She thought. She turned her back away from the door as she heard it being opened. "What do you want, Rachel?"

"I'm so sorry. I should not have pressed the subject. You asked me to stop talking about it, but I continued." Rachel said, not coming any closer than she thought Santana wanted her too.

Back still turned, Santana shook her head. "I shouldn't have yelled."

"No you shouldn't have." Rachel agreed. Santana turned her head and glared at Rachel. "Sorry."

"I shouldn't have yelled like that. I just get so angry when I think about what could have happened to you. I don't know what I would do without you." Santana said.

Rachel walked over to the bed and pulled Santana into her arms. "Baby, I'm not going anywhere. How many times do we have to have this conversation?"

"Everyday until we're out of Lima and in New York together." Rachel laughed. "I'm the one who is supposed to comfort you. I'm the tough one in this relationship." Santana said.

"Well sometimes even the toughest people need comforting." Rachel said. Santana nodded and they planned New Year's Eve together.

Parties. They were the basis of Santana's entertainment before she joined Glee Club. And before she started dating Rachel. Throughout the first hour, she kept an eye on the door and an arm around Rachel. There was no way she was letting her girl feel unsafe ever again. Suddenly, she saw someone who wasn't supposed to be there. She tried to keep Rachel from looking over there, but Rachel could feel the anger boiling up inside of Santana and looked in the same direction as the other girl.

"San, what's he doing here?" Rachel asked. Santana looked over and saw the fear in Rachel's eyes.

"I don't know baby girl. But I'm going to go get rid of him." She quickly searched around for Puck. "Puckerman!" she hissed.

"What Satan?" he asked.

"I thought I told you to make sure he _didn't_ show up!" she said. Puck looked over and saw Marshall.

"San, I'm so sorry. I'm going to get rid of him."

"No let me. You stay with Rachel." Santana said. She got up quickly walked to the boy. "You need to leave." She said.

"No way, Satan. Its a _party_. People show up, even when you don't invite them. Look, you won't even know I'm here." Marshall said.

"Yeah I will, because now that my girlfriend knows you are here, she won't be able to enjoy herself all night and I am not going to allow you to terrify her in her own house. She should be able to feel safe in her own home." Santana said. As soon as she saw his eyes light up, Santana knew she had made a mistake.

"So…your girl's scared of me, huh? Guess I better go make sure she's okay."

"Stay away from her." Santana said.

"Whatever you say, Satan." Marshall said walking into a different room. Santana turned back and went to Rachel.

"Where did he go?" she asked.

"To the other side of the house." Santana said.

"NO! San, I want him _gone_." Rachel said.

"Baby, it'll be fine. Just don't think about him." Santana said.

"Don't think about him? Santana, he's in my _house_." Rachel said.

"Well, I'm sorry. I should have kicked him out. If he comes near you, I'll make him leave, okay?" Santana asked.

"You know, if he wasn't here, I would have stormed off long ago."

"If he wasn't here, you wouldn't have a reason to storm off, now would you?" Santana countered. Rachel, who was fighting a smirk, looked away. Later in the night, Santana had Finn do a lap around the house. It looked as if Marshall had left the house, so Rachel decided to go find Kurt and Mercedes and hang out with them for a bit. The moment it seemed as if Santana couldn't see Rachel anymore, Marshall came out of his hiding spot.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." He said. She turned around.

"Mar…Marshall. What are you doing here? Finn said you left." Rachel said, looking around for Santana.

"Your girl can't see you." Marshall said.

"Do you think she would be able to hear me?" Rachel threatened.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Marshall said. "Now, be a good little girl and talk to me. Otherwise, I may have to hurt you _and_ your girl."

"Don't touch Santana."

"Then shut up." He said. Rachel looked away uncomfortably and Marshall took that as an opportunity to slip an anesthetic in her drink. '_She'll be passed out for hours. She will be lucky if she lives.'_ He thought. He smiled as he saw her take a hearty drink in the awkwardness.

"HEY!" They heard. They both looked in the direction of the voice. Marshall smiled.

"Fabray. How are you tonight?"

"I'm doing fine. You however won't be if you don't get away from her and out of this house." Quinn said. Marshall threw his hands up in surrender and backed up.

"Not a problem. My work here is done anyway." Marshall said. He immediately left the house.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Quinn asked Rachel. When she didn't get a response, she looked over at the girl, who was passed out on the floor. "Rach? Rachel?" She dropped to her knees and tried to shake the girl. "Somebody get Santana!" she screamed.

Upon hearing her name, Santana walked into the room, she looked for whoever called her name and saw Quinn on the floor. Upon further inspection, she noticed the person on the floor next to her, unconscious.

"Rachel." She whispered. She sprinted across the room. "Rachel, baby, its me. Its Santana, sweetie. Wake up. Honey, you have to wake up." Rachel barely stirred. "Quinn who was she with?" Santana asked.

"I found her with Marshall and kicked him out. As he left he said that his work here was done. Oh my god. S, do you think he drugged her?"

"If he did, I'll kill him. Call an ambulance. Now." Santana said. Quinn pulled out her phone.

"S, the ambulance will be here shortly. I also texted Puck. He and Finn are out looking for Marshall." Quinn reported.

Santana nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Rach, come on. Please baby girl stay with me." She could hear the faint sirens. "Crap. Q, there's alcohol here."

"Mike and Sam were already working on clearing it out." Quinn assured her.

"Good thing Rachel was drinking soda." Santana said.

"I'll go tell them where you guys are." Mercedes said. Santana nodded. An hour later, Santana was in the waiting room, waiting for news on Rachel. Finally a doctor came out. "She's ready to see you, Santana." She wasted no time getting in there.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry. I should have kicked him out." Santana looked into Rachel's eyes and saw the anger.

"You promised me nothing would happen." Rachel said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was wrong." Santana said.

"You let him into my house, Santana." Rachel said.

"Can you forgive me?" Santana asked.

"I honestly don't know if I can. You didn't kick him out and he almost killed me!" Rachel said.

"Baby, I didn't know he was going to do that!" Santana said.

"Santana, I almost died because you just blew it off. I told you how I felt about him being there and you let him stay." Rachel said.

"What are you trying to say?" Santana asked.

"Get out."

"What?" Santana asked, unable to believe it.

"I want you _gone_. I'm done with this, done with us, done with _you_. You can continue to live in my house, but do _not_ talk to me. We're over, Santana." Rachel said.

"Rachel, baby, please don't do that. I'm sorry, I love you." Santana said.

"If you loved me, you'd have kicked him out when I asked you to." Rachel said. "Santana, please leave."

Santana let the tears flow freely from her eyes, not even bothering to mask them. "Rachel…"

"Please, San." Rachel said, looking away.

"Rachel, you know that you and I are meant to be together."

"I'm not so sure of that anymore." Rachel said.

That made Santana angry. "Fine. Whatever, _Berry_. I'll leave." Santana turned and walked out of the room, ignoring her friends as she left the hospital. She didn't need Rachel Berry. She was Santana Lopez. Santana Lopez didn't need anyone. Santana watched from her window the next day as Finn and Puck brought Rachel home. Rachel looked up into the girl's window and caught the other girl staring. They shared a look for a few moments, before Santana walked away from the window. She knew that the break up was her fault. Rachel had every right to be mad. Santana had almost gotten the girl _killed_. But just because Santana knew she was at fault didn't mean she was going to go running back begging for forgiveness. At least, not yet. She knew eventually she was going to, because she wasn't sure she wanted to be without Rachel just yet. She'd really liked the sound of their plan to go off to New York together after high school. As she sat on her bed, she heard the commotion of the three people and then the sound of the two boys leaving. Suddenly her phone vibrated.

**New Message**

**Puck**

**What's up with you and R? **

**She broke up with me. End of story. –San**

**Bummer. And that totally'll make the living situation awkward, just FYI. –Puck**

**Yea, thanks, Puck. As if I didn't already know that. –San**

**Sorry. –Puck.**

Santana decided to ignore that text. Part of her wanted to walk down the hall and convince Rachel to take her back. But she had made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with Santana. And Santana couldn't exactly blame her. She also wasn't sure she could talk to Rachel without crying. She decided to text her to be polite and ask if she needed anything from downstairs.

**To: Rachel**

**Going downstairs. Do you need anything? Are you hungry or anything like that?**

Santana received a reply quicker than she had anticipated.

**New Message**

**Rachel**

**Water? **

**Sure. –S**

Santana went downstairs and got Rachel a bottle of water and some aspirin just to be on the safe side. She got a bottle of apple juice for herself and made her way back up the stairs. She paused as she stood outside Rachel's room. She had been in there countless times, but now she couldn't decide if she should knock or not. She decided to knock.

"Come in." Rachel said. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop. Santana walked over to her table and put the water.

"I got you some aspirin just in case." Santana said. She was afraid to meet Rachel's eyes.

"Thanks." Rachel said.

Santana stood there for a moment. "Rach…" she trailed off.

"San, please don't make this harder than it already is." Rachel said.

Santana could feel tears threatening to fall. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened. I'll leave you alone now."

"Santana, wait."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me anymore." Santana dared.

Rachel looked into Santana's eyes. "I still love you, but what you did makes me want to try to stop." Santana's heart broke at those words.

"Fine. I'm sorry that I put you through all of this pain and I'm sorry that I wasted the last four months of your life. You're free, Rachel. You don't have to worry about me trying to get you back because I know that is not what you want. And don't worry. I won't follow you to New York after high school. You're free, Rachel."

"San…"

"Did the last four months even mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Of course they did, Santana."

"Obviously not much otherwise you wouldn't have ignored my apologies."

"Santana, I asked you to make him leave. You ignored me and let him stay there and I almost died because of that."

"Rachel, I didn't know that was going to happen. You're right I should have kicked him out and I'm sorry! I don't know how else I can say it!" Santana turned and left the room. The next few days, Santana did her best to either stay out of the house or stay in her room. Finally, school started up again. Santana never thought she would have been so happy to be back at school. First period Glee Club, she sat with Brittany, Quinn, and Artie. Rachel sat on the other side of the room. As Mr. Schue walked in Rachel raised her hand.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"Can I sing a song?" Rachel asked.

"Uh…yeah. I guess." Rachel walked up to the front. She looked at Santana the entire time.

_We've run out of words_

_We've run out of time_

_We've run out of reasons_

_Really, why are we together?_

_We both know it's over, baby_

_Bottom line_

_It's best we don't even talk at all_

_Don't call me even if I should cross your mind_

_Hard enough, I don't need to hear your voice on my messages_

_Let's just call it quits_

_Its probably better_

_So if I'm not returning your calls its cause_

_Cause I'm not coming back_

_I'm closing the door_

_I used to be tripping over missing you_

_But I'm not anymore_

_I got the picture phone_

_Baby, your picture's gone_

_I couldn't stand to see your smile_

_Every time you dial_

_Cause it's over_

_Girl, you know it's over this time_

_So when you call I'm pressing 7_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, messages_

_I'm tryin to erase you from my mind_

_Cause it's over_

_I swear it girl_

_It's over this time_

_So don't be callin leavin' messages_

_Don't wanna know where you've been_

_Baby cause it's over_

_I still wake up every morning_

_Quarter to ten_

_I still eat my cereal_

_Right at the kitchen table_

_I can't even remember how long it's been_

_With no trouble staying occupied_

_They ask about you whenever I come around_

_I do what I can not to put my business in the streets_

_Last thing I need is another episode_

_Keep conversations short and sweet cause_

_Cause I'm not coming back_

_I'm closing the door_

_I used to be tripping over missing you_

_But I'm not anymore_

_I got the picture phone_

_Baby, your picture's gone_

_I couldn't stand to see your smile_

_Every time you dial_

_Cause it's over_

_Girl, you know it's over this time_

_So when you call I'm pressing 7_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, messages_

_I'm tryin to erase you from my mind_

_Cause it's over_

_I swear it girl_

_It's over this time_

_So don't be callin leavin' messages_

_Don't wanna know where you've been_

_Baby cause it's over_

_You know that its over when the burning and yearning inside your heart_

_Ain't there anymore_

_And you know that you're through_

_When she don't do to you and move you_

_Like the way she moved you before_

_And you wanna pull her close_

_But your heart has froze_

_You kiss her but her eyes don't close_

_Then she goes_

_Out of your heart forever_

_And it hurts you but you know that it's better_

_Girl it's over_

_Girl, you know it's over this time_

_So when you call I'm pressing 7_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, messages_

_I'm tryin to erase you from my mind_

_Cause it's over_

_I swear it girl_

_It's over this time_

_So don't be callin leavin' messages_

_Don't wanna know where you've been_

_Baby cause it's over_

_Cause it's over_

_Girl, you know it's over this time_

_So when you call I'm pressing 7_

_Don't wanna hear your messages, messages_

_I'm tryin to erase you from my mind_

_Cause it's over_

_I swear it girl_

_It's over this time_

_So don't be callin leavin' messages_

_Don't wanna know where you've been_

_Baby cause it's over_

As Rachel stopped singing, Santana's mouth dropped open. "Really, Berry? That was awful!"

"Santana! Apologize to Rachel." Mr. Schue scolded.

"No way. I'm not about to apologize to her. That was totally uncalled for." Santana argued.

"Rach, that was kind of mean." Finn said.

"Seriously, Rachel, that was cold." Mercedes said.

"Yea, I was there. She did nothing but try to help you." Quinn said.

"Guys, its fine. She's obviously over us. Let her do whatever she wants. I don't care anymore." Santana said.

"Well, I just needed to express my emotions. Sometimes they come off that way." Rachel said. She then stormed out of the room. Mr. Schue looked at Santana.

"What?" she asked clearly irritated.

"Are you going to go after her?"

"Why would I go after her after she dumped me, then sang that song to me?" Santana asked.

Karofsky watched Marshall enter the school. "You're not supposed to be here, Marshall. You need to leave."

Marshall raised his gun. "Karosky, just shut up for once in your sorry life." The other boy backed off and let him past. He quickly pulled out his phone.

**To: Santana**

**Marshall is in the school building. **

Santana felt her phone vibrate. Even though Mr. Schue was looking right at her, she checked it anyway. She read Karofsky's message. Her eyes widened. "Santana please put your phone away. That message isn't that important unless someone's life is in danger."

"Rachel's might be. Karofsky just texted me and told me Marshall is here." Santana said. She received a new message.

**New Message**

**Karofsky**

**He has a gun with him. **

"Oh my god." Santana said.

"What is it?" Mr. Schue asked, worried.

"He has a gun. I think he's looking for Rachel or me. Most likely Rachel." Santana said. She couldn't let him get to Rachel. Wait, they were broken up. She wasn't supposed to care. Was she? Forget it, she had to admit it to herself. She still loved Rachel. "Finn, give me your phone. Now."

"Why?" the boy asked.

"Because she won't pick up if I'm the one calling her. Give me your phone!" Santana caught the phone that was tossed to her and dialed Rachel's number.

_"Finn, you're not going to get me to come back to the choir room."_ Rachel said.

"Rachel, its not Finn. Its me."

_"Santana?"_

"No, the Tooth Fairy. Yes, Santana!"

_"What do you want, Santana?"_

"I need to know where you are."

_"Why? I told you we're over."_

"Rachel, will you please just shut up and listen!" Santana yelled into the phone.

_"I guess. Fine, you have two minutes, Santana. Then I'm hanging up."_ Rachel said.

"Rachel, don't hang up. Listen, Karofsky just texted me. Marshall is in the building and he has a gun." Santana said.

_"He has a what?"_ Rachel said. Santana could hear the fear.

"He has a gun, Rach." She said, her voice softening.

_"I'm headed towards the auditorium."_ Rachel said.

"Don't go there. It'll be the first place he looks. Go to the library. I'll meet you there." Santana said. She hung up the phone, tossed it back to Finn and took off running. She sprinted until she saw Rachel's figure in the distance and then kicked up her speed even more. She had almost caught up to Rachel when she saw Marshall in the distance. She saw him lift up his gun. Rachel had opened the door and Santana lunged forward and pushed Rachel into the library. The two went rolling in there as they heard a gunshot.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" Rachel asked, looking at her ex-girlfriend.

"I'm fine. Go to the back and _stay low and stay quiet._" Santana whispered. Rachel obeyed and the two quickly made their way to the back corner.

"Santana, I'm so sorry for singing that song." Rachel whispered.

"Is now really the time for this, Rachel?" Santana whispered back.

"Yea, actually it is. If we're going to die-" Rachel was cut off.

"We aren't going to die. He's not coming near you." Santana said.

"That's you said last time." Rachel muttered. Santana glared at her.

"Is this going somewhere or are you just going to keep trying to make me feel guilty?" Santana hissed.

"It's going somewhere. As I was saying, if we're going to die," Santana opened her mouth to protest again, but Rachel put her hand over Santana's mouth. "If we're going to die, I don't want to die fighting with you."

Santana nodded, taking the words in and gently removing Rachel's hand. "What are you trying to say?"

Rachel looked into Santana's eyes and saw the love behind the anger and the hurt. "I …I don't know."

Santana looked at the other girl. She knew what she had to say and she knew that Rachel had a point. They didn't know if they were going to live past today. She needed to say what had been on her mind since Rachel broke up with her. She needed to say how she truly felt and she knew that Rachel needed to hear this. She took a deep breath.

"Rachel, I need you. Okay? I can deny it as much as I want, but I need you. All right? I desperately need you. I desperately need you the way that Kurt desperately needs designer clothes. I desperately need you the way that Sam desperately needs a smaller mouth to face ratio. I desperately need you the way that Tina desperately needs to wear black all the time. I desperately need you the way that Finn desperately needs his weird Grilled Cheesus. I desperately need you the way that Puck desperately needs his guitar. I desperately need you the way that Quinn desperately needed anti-stretch mark cream. I desperately need you the way that Mike desperately needs to dance. I desperately need you the way that Matt desperately needed to talk more. I desperately need you the way that Mr. Schue desperately needs to wear a vest every single day. I desperately need you the way that Miss Pillsbury desperately needs cleanliness. I desperately need you the way that Artie desperately needs his wheelchair. I desperately need you the way that Brittany desperately needs ducks. I need you…" she took a breath. "I need you the way that you need me. The way that I _know_ that you need me." Santana said, looking into Rachel's eyes. "I just…I need you. I've tried to fight it, and I've tried to deny it, but I'm at the point where I just…I don't want to fight or deny it anymore. I _want_ to need you. I want to have you in my life. I want you to _be _my life, my heart, and my world. I want you to be _mine. _Okay? And I really am sorry for what happened, but you know in your heart that I would_ never_ do anything to intentionally put you in harm's way, because I can't live without you. I'd never do anything to lose you." Santana said. "I just -"

She was cut off by Rachel's lips on hers. Rachel pulled away and started to say something when they heard a voice.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I am only going to have to make _one_ trip around the school." Marshall said.

"Marshall, I swear if you hurt her, I'll use that gun on you." Santana said.

"I can always get rid of _you_ first, Satan." He raised the gun.

"Santana, no." Rachel cried.

"Rachel, he won't hurt you. I'd rather he kill me than you." Santana said.

"NO!" Rachel yelled. Both girls closed their eyes and screamed as they heard the gunshot. They heard Marshall groan as he hit the ground. They both opened their eyes. Karofsky had tackled him to the ground. Rachel grabbed Santana's hand. There was a pool of blood around Marshall.

"Is he dead?" Rachel asked.

Karofsky nodded. "He can't bother you guys anymore." He went off, saying he was going to get a teacher.

Santana pulled Rachel into a hug. "Its over, Rachel. He can't hurt you anymore."

"San…San, I need you too. I'm so sorry." Rachel cried. She kept repeating herself.

"Shh…its okay. Its okay." Santana said, stroking her hair..

"Please…please take me back, Santana. Please. Take me back. Please. Please love me again. Please just take me back." Rachel sobbed.

The sound of Rachel crying nearly put Santana over the edge. "Always." She kissed Rachel's forehead. "Its okay. You're okay. I'm here, baby girl. I love you."

"I don't want to lose you. I love you to much." Rachel sobbed.

"You won't lose me. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you." Santana said, rocking Rachel back and forth. Rachel held on to her girlfriend. Santana just let her cry in her arms. When Karofsky returned with Mr. Schue, Rachel was still crying. Santana's Cheerio uniform had tearstains on it, but she didn't care. She continued to comfort Rachel.

"Santana, are you guys all right?" the teacher asked. Santana nodded. Mr. Schue noticed Marshall. "Oh my god."

"That would be us if Karofsky had not shown up." Santana said, instantly regretting it, because Rachel began to cry even harder. "Crap. I am so sorry Rachel."

Mr. Schue looked at the boy. "David, you're a hero."

"Thanks, Karofsky." Santana quietly said. He nodded, clearly shook up about the whole thing.

"Santana, how about you take Rachel back to the choir room? She'll feel most comfortable there." Mr. Schue suggested. "But do be prepared for when the police show up."

Santana nodded. "Come on, Rach." She whispered. Rachel's crying at quieted down. They walked back to the choir room.

"Oh my god. Are you guys okay? Karofsky came in and said that there was a shooting." Quinn said.

"We're fine." Santana said.

"What about Marshall?" Finn asked.

Santana looked down. "He…he's dead."

"Rach, you okay?" Puck asked. Rachel nodded. She buried her head in Santana's chest to quiet her crying.

"Its okay baby. You're safe." Santana whispered, tearing up herself.

Ms. Pillsbury walked in. "Santana? They're ready for you and Rachel."

Santana nodded. "Baby? We have to go talk to the police now. Okay?" Rachel nodded. They walked to the front office.

"Ms. Lopez, why do you think that the victim-"

"Hold up. Marshall isn't a _victim_. He tried to shoot my girlfriend and I. He beat up my girlfriend awhile back and he drugged and almost killed her on New Year's Eve. In no way is he a _victim_." Santana interrupted.

"Okay, fine. Why do you think that the _deceased_ tried to shoot the two of you?" the officer said.

"Because he was crazy?"

"San, please cooperate." Rachel said.

"Okay." Santana softly said. "Because he wanted to finish what he started. He didn't successfully kill Rachel on New Year's Eve so he wanted to finish it off. I wasn't going to let that happen so he was going to kill me too."

The officer nodded. "Ms. Berry, why were you in the hallway?"

"I stormed out of Glee Club rehearsal. Santana called me and told me not to go to the auditorium because Marshall was sure to head there, so I went to the library."

"So you knew he had a gun?" they asked Santana.

"I was warned by another student, which is why I went to find Rachel." Santana said.

The officer nodded. "I think we have enough for now."

"Santana, how about you take Rachel home." Ms. Pillsbury suggested.

Santana nodded. "Come on Ray." The drive home was silent. Rachel had finally stopped crying. When they got home, she immediately went to her room. Santana gave her some time alone before going in there to check on her.

"Hey. How are you doing?" she asked.

"Better." Rachel said. Santana walked over and gently kissed Rachel's forehead.

"What do you think are you doing?" Rachel asked.

Santana was confused. Rachel had said she wanted her back. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you kissing me?"

"You said you wanted me…_us_…back." Santana said.

"I was caught up in the moment." Rachel said.

"Wait…what? So you _don't_ want me back?" Santana said.

"No." Rachel looked away. Santana nodded.

"Fine." She walked to the door, before turning around. "By the way, I'm enlisting in the Army the day I turn eighteen. Have fun in New York." With that, she walked out of the room.

"Wait…what?" Rachel said to herself. This was not what she wanted. She immediately followed Santana and went into the girl's room. "You're doing _what_?" Rachel asked.

"I'm enlisting in the Army. I told you I wouldn't follow you to New York, and I'm not going to." Santana said.

"But you've always dreamed of going to Columbia." Rachel said.

"Yea and I dreamed that we were going to be together forever but some dreams die, huh?" Santana said bitterly. Suddenly, Rachel was kissing her. "What are you doing, Rachel?"

"I do want you back. I want you to go to New York with me and I want you to be mine again." Rachel said. Santana kissed her back.

"Rachel, I have always been yours." Santana said. "But I still want to enlist in the Army."

"But San…"

"Rachel, this is something that I had been considering that for a long time now." Santana said.

"Can we compromise about this? I just…I can't live everyday wondering if you're okay or even if you're alive. San, I just can't do that. What if you studied Criminal Justice and became a police officer or federal agent or something." Rachel said. "At least then I can see you everyday and know you're okay."

Santana considered this. "I guess I could be okay with that."

"No, Santana. You can't be okay with the idea. If you're just okay with it you'll resent me later on." Rachel said.

Santana smiled. "As long as you are there with me, I love the idea."

"I'll always be there." Rachel said. Santana kissed her again.

"No more breakups." She said.

"No more breakups." Rachel agreed. "You and me together forever."

"Forever." Santana whispered.

"So the plan is we graduate from high school, go to New York, me at Julliard and you at Columbia. We graduate college and then you go on to be a police officer and I go on to be on Broadway. All the while we are completely happy and in love. Deal?" Rachel said.

Santana chuckled. "Deal." She and Rachel shook on it. Rachel grinned and pulled Santana in for another kiss. Santana pulled away and rested her forehead on Rachel's.

"I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too baby girl. I _never _want to come that close to losing you again. Twice in the course of about a week is plenty for me for a lifetime." Santana said.


	4. The Pezberry Secret, Part II

**_The Pezberry Secret, Part II_**

Santana woke up in her apartment. She looked down at the girl next to her and smiled. She couldn't believe that she had been with the girl for ten years. She continued to surprise herself everyday with how much she loved the girl. Over the years their dreams had come true. They had made it through high school and college without breaking up again and without anymore attempts on their lives. Santana had gone to Columbia and studied Criminal Justice. The twenty-six year old now worked for the FBI in the Missing Persons unit (she quickly learned that it was not as exciting as on television, but she still loved what she did). Rachel attended Julliard and was now working on her first Broadway show. She was beginning to get nervous as opening night approached. Santana sometimes joked that Rachel pretended to act nervous so she could hear Santana tell her how amazing she was. Rachel hadn't exactly denied the claim. She smiled as she saw Rachel's eyes flutter open.

"Morning, beautiful." She greeted her girlfriend.

"Good morning. Don't you have to go the office?" Rachel said.

"Ugh…it can wait." Santana said.

"Santana Lopez. Your team could be waiting on you to begin an investigation on a missing child whose life is in danger. Are you saying that can wait?" Rachel said, knowing that would get her moving. The worst part of Santana's job was when she was looking for a kidnapped child. Santana had a soft spot for kids and she hated when people abused them or kidnapped them. Every time they found one that they hadn't been able to save, Santana cried at home and was upset for days.

Santana looked at Rachel. "We've been together too long. You know how to get to me."

"Just get ready Cheerio." Rachel said.

"You _are_ aware that I'm no longer a Cheerio, right?" Santana said.

"Is that why you keep your uniform in pristine condition and freak out if I accidentally move or touch it?" Rachel said.

"Whatever." Santana said.

"And anyway, I like calling you Cheerio. Don't you like it?" Rachel asked.

"I love it." Santana said, kissing her forehead and getting up. "What time are you going to be home tonight?"

"Late. I need to get ready too. My rehearsal starts in an hour." Within fifteen minutes, Rachel and Santana were out of their apartment and on their way to their respective jobs.

Santana walked into the squad room. "Lopez, did you get the coffee?" her partner Marcus Richards said.

"Its right here, Rich. Calm down." Santana smirked

"What about me?" her other team member Aiden Trenton said.

"Here." She handed them both the coffee. Over the years she had adapted to being the only girl on the team. Suddenly her team leader walked in. "Here you go Price." She handed her team leader, Evan Price, his coffee.

"Thanks, San." The team was like a family to Santana.

"So do we have a case?" Marcus asked.

"Not that I know of." Evan replied.

"Price! New case, just came in." another agent said just as Santana went to put sugar in her coffee. When she came back, Evan was briefing the team.

"Okay guys, victim was kidnapped about half an hour ago on her way to work. Witnesses say she walked out with a female, they parted ways, and then she was taken when she got to work."

Santana hadn't looked up at the screen. "Do we have a name?"

"Yea…uh…Rachel Berry." Evan said. Santana quickly looked up.

"Says here she has a live in girlfriend and they've been together since high school. Must be who the other female was." Aiden said.

"Do we have a picture?" Marcus asked.

"One second." Aiden pulled up a picture. "It says this is their senior photo…whoa." The screen was suddenly filled with Rachel and Santana's senior picture. They had taken individual ones, but Rachel's dads had wanted pictures of the both of them.

"Santana, is that…" Marcus trailed off.

"That's my girlfriend." Santana said.

"Are you going to be okay with this case?" Evan asked.

"I'm going to find Rachel." Santana said.

He nodded. "Okay, where does she work?"

"She recently got the lead in an upcoming Broadway musical. She was on her way to rehearsal when I last saw her." Santana said.

"Okay, why don't you and Marcus go to her rehearsal location and find out if anyone say her this morning before she was taken." Evan said. Santana nodded. She was going to find Rachel. She just had to. Marcus and Santana made their way to rehearsal.

"Chang!" Santana said the moment she walked in. Her high school friend instantly walked over.

"San, where's Rachel? The director is fixing to explode." Mike said.

"She got kidnapped, Chang. Did anyone talk to her this morning?" Santana asked.

"Not that I know of. Brittany might have." Mike said. He and Brittany were dancers in the same show. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Where's B?" San asked.

"I'm here. What's going on? S, where's Rachel?"

"She got kidnapped, B. Did you talk to her?" Santana said.

"No. I'm so sorry." Brittany said. She looked at Marcus. "Who are you?"

"I'm her partner, Agent Marcus Richards."

"You have to find Rachel." Brittany said.

"We're going to do all we can." Marcus said. Santana looked at him.

"We'll find her, B. I can guarantee you that." Santana said. She went on to question all of Rachel's co-stars.

As they left, Marcus spoke up. "Lopez, are you going to be okay working this case?"

"I'm going to be fine. I am going to find her." Santana said.

"Don't you think you're a little bit to close to the case?" he asked.

"No! I won't be able to concentrate on anything else until I find her." Santana said.

"Do you love her?" he asked.

"I have since I was sixteen years old." Santana said.

"I'll do everything I can to help you find her." he replied. Santana smiled up at him. Her phone rang.

"Lopez."

"We think we know where she is." Aiden said. He gave her an address and they quickly drove there. "We received this fax saying she'd call you at 12." It was 11:59. As soon as her clock changed to 12 her phone rang.

"Lopez." She answered.

_"San?"_

"Baby girl, are you okay?" Santana asked.

_"I'm fine…for now. San, please just do whatever they say and find me."_ Rachel said. Another voice quickly came on the line.

_"We see your car out there, Lopez. Come on up and we will negotiate. You can even bring your FBI buddies with you."_ The line went dead.

"They want us up there." Santana said. They pulled out their guns quickly went upstairs. Santana went in a room and saw Rachel tied up to a chair. She quickly looked around and saw two guys. They all looked weirdly familiar.

"You're trying to figure out where you have seen us before, right?" one of them asked. Santana nodded. "Our brother was Marshall Andrews."

The color drained out of Santana's face. "What do you want with Rachel?"

"See, if it weren't for you two, our brother would be alive." He said.

"Santana and I didn't kill your brother." Rachel said.

"Shut up!" the other one said, hitting Rachel. It took all of Santana's self control not to shoot him.

"We didn't kill Marshall. He shot himself when Karofsky turned the gun to protect Rachel and I." Santana calmly said.

"Listen, how about you guys just let her go and we can talk about all of this." Evan said.

"Untie her." the older one said.

"Wait, what?"

"Untie her!" Rachel was untied and quickly walked across the room. Aiden put away his gun and got her out of harm's way. Marcus, Santana, and Evan kept their guns out. As Rachel walked by, Santana let out a breath she had not been aware she was holding. Rachel was safe.

"You idiot. Why did you let her go?" the younger one yelled.

"Shut up." His brother yelled.

"Well then I'll just shoot her." he raised a gun and almost shot Santana. All three agents started firing. Both brothers were quickly dead.

"You all right, San?" Evan asked. She nodded and went to check on Rachel.

"Ray!" she yelled. She immediately grabbed the girl in a hug. "Baby girl are you okay?" Santana asked.

"I think so." Rachel said.

"We're going to have you checked out. No arguments." Santana motioned for an EMT. "Baby girl what happened?" Santana asked.

"I was about to walk into the theater when I was stopped. They asked if I was Rachel Berry and I said yes. Next thing I know, they're hitting me and I'm in the back of a van and taken here. Then they made me call you." Rachel said.

"Sweetie, that's awful. I'm going to take you to work from now on." Santana said.

"San, we aren't in high school anymore. You can't walk me places and be where you need to be in thirty seconds. We're in New York City, not McKinley High School." Rachel said.

"Well, I'll figure something out. You're going to be safe, I promise." Santana said.

"With you, I know I'll be." Rachel said.

"Agent Lopez?" Santana turned around.

"Yes?" she replied to the EMT that addressed her.

"She seems to be fine, but we may have to take her to the hospital just to be sure." He said.

"Ray, is that okay?" Santana asked.

"Are you going to come?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure if I can baby." Santana said. Rachel clung to Santana's black FBI jacket.

"San, I don't want to be alone right now." Rachel said.

Santana hugged Rachel. "Sweetie, I'll see what I can do, but like you said, we aren't in high school anymore. I can't just ditch whenever I want to."

Rachel nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm being selfish."

"Rachel, hush. No you aren't." Santana said. Her phone rang. "Lopez." She answered.

_"San, is she all right?"_ she heard Evan say.

"Yea, but they need her to go to the hospital just to be sure." Santana said.

_"Do you want to go with her?"_ he asked.

"I can't just leave you guys." Santana said.

_"Go. Its fine. We can handle it."_ Her boss said. Santana smiled as she hung up the phone.

"I can go." Santana said.

Rachel looked up at her. "What?"

"I can go with you to the hospital, babe." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Thank you."

Santana returned the smile and leaned down. "Always remember that you are my star."

"And you are my Cheerio."

"And _that_ sounded just as lame as it did when you said it when we were in high school." Santana said. "Its all right though, because I still love you."

Rachel nodded. "I love you too." Santana smiled and leaned down to kiss Rachel again but was interrupted.

"Agent Lopez?" Santana sighed.

"Yes?"

"We're ready for her to go to the hospital."

"All right, Rachel. Let's go." Santana said. Rachel nodded and stood up.

"Agent Lopez, your girlfriend is all right, with the exception of the obvious bruises. Nothing seems to be broken." The doctor said later.

"That's good, Rachel." Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah..." the doctor left them alone.

"Ray? You okay?" Santana asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine San." Rachel said.

"You do know that I _don't _believe you, right?" Santana asked.

"Yes, Santana, I'm fully aware that you don't believe me." Rachel said.

"Then tell me what's wrong." Santana said.

"This guy in the show, Brett? He uh...he asked me out." Rachel said.

"And you said…" Santana said.

"That I would think about it." Rachel said.

"I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure that I heard you correctly. You said _what?_" Santana asked.

"San, I'm sorry." Rachel said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Santana asked.

"Because I didn't want to go behind your back." Rachel said.

"Call him up. Tell him you want to go on a date with him." Santana said.

"San…" Rachel said.

"No, its fine, Rachel." Santana said. "Look, I have to get back to work. I'll drive you to the theater." Santana said nothing during the drive. She allowed Rachel to kiss her on the cheek when they arrived. As Rachel began to get out of the car, Santana grabbed her arm and pulled her back into another kiss. Rachel pulled away. "Remember that and the last _ten years_ on your date." Santana said. Rachel closed the door and Santana drove away.

"Fine." Rachel said to herself. Brett was extremely happy when Rachel accepted his date for seven that evening. Santana was already home when Rachel got back to their apartment.

"You going on the date?" was all Santana said.

Rachel nodded. "San, just remember you told me to do this."

"Yeah, I'll remember that if you end up leaving me for him." Santana shot back.

"I have to get ready." Rachel replied. At seven, Brett knocked on their door. Santana went and answered.

"Uh, hi. Is Rachel here?" he said.

"You her date?" Santana asked. He nodded in response. Santana snorted. "Berry! Your, uh…_date_, is here." Santana called. Rachel came in the room.

"Good night, Santana." Rachel said. She smiled at Brett and walked out the door. Santana just sighed and sat down on the couch. She decided to watch old videos of their Glee Club competitions from high school. As Brett and Rachel walked down the street, he noticed that she was unusally quiet. He decided to make small talk.

"What are you thinking about?"

Rachel looked up. "Wha…what?"

He laughed. "What's on your mind, Berry?"

Rachel looked at him. "I'm sorry. I can't…I can't do this."

"Do what?" he asked.

"I have to go. I'm really sorry." Rachel said.

"Wait, did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No, you're a great guy, its just…I messed up and I have to go fix it. I'm sorry, Brett." Rachel hugged him and quickly ran back up to her apartment. When she got to the door, she realized she didn't have her key.

Santana had been watching Rachel perform _Get It Right_, an original song from Regionals from their junior year, when she heard knocking on the door. She opened the door and barely had time to process the fact that it was Rachel before said girl was literally jumping into her arms and kissing her. Santana caught her, turned around, and closed the door with her back, while never breaking contact. Slowly, she slid down to the floor with her back against the door, causing Rachel to practically straddle her.

"What's going on? You're supposed to be on a date." Santana said.

"We only got downstairs when I realized that I made a mistake. I ran back up here." Rachel explained.

"What triggered it?" Santana had to ask.

"He asked me what I was thinking about." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Remember when we first got together in the janitor's closet?"

"I asked you that." Santana said, smiling.

"Yes you did." Rachel said. Santana stood up and carried Rachel into the living room. "Are you watching _Get It Right_?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. Rachel buried her head into Santana's neck. "Marry me." Rachel said.

"Wait, what?" Santana asked accidentally dropping Rachel. "Crap. I am so sorry."

"I want to get married." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you can't propose to me." Santana said.

"What? Why not? You proposed to me when we were seventeen." Rachel said.

"Because…damn it Rachel." Santana said.

"What? What did I do wrong?" Rachel asked.

"It was going to be a surprise. I had this entire thing planned. I was going to propose." Santana said. "Well, re-propose." Santana said.

"You kept my ring?" Rachel said.

"Of course I kept your ring." Santana said.

"Well, now I feel bad." Rachel said.

"No, its okay. I only blew half the surprise. Besides, its not like you know when I'm going to propose." Santana said. "But now that you know, I'm going to ask you something. If I do propose again, are you going to break it off again?"

Rachel quickly shook her head. "No. We're forever."

"Yea we are." Santana said.

"You know, I've noticed that since you graduated from Columbia, you have not spoken in 'gangster.'" Rachel commented.

Santana grinned evilly. "Oh yea? Well guess what. I wants me some Rachel Berry and I wants it now."

Rachel groaned. "Santana." She whined.

"Woman, you know it turns you on. Why do you fight it?" Santana asked, falling down on the couch.

"Because it annoys you when I do." Rachel said, lying down on top of Santana.

"You annoy me when you do a lot of things." Santana said.

"Like this?" Rachel kissed Santana.

"Uh…_no_. Definitely not that." Santana said.

Rachel laughed. "That's what I thought." Santana smiled and the two fell asleep on the couch. The next day, Rachel woke up and left before Santana was even awake.

_Santana, Brittany, and Quinn stopped at local Lima Walgreen's on their way back into town. As Santana went to get something to drink, she saw someone she had barely seen all summer. She abandoned her task and walked to the person, whose back was facing her. She put her hands over the person's eyes. "I am so sorry to disturb you, but you look an awful lot like my girlfriend. I have barely seen her all summer, but maybe could you help me with my withdrawals?" she playfully asked. She smiled as she heard Rachel squeal at her voice and turn around._

_"San!" she said. The summer between their junior and senior years, Santana had spent the first half of the break at cheerleading camp, spent a week at home with Rachel, then gone to Hawaii with Quinn, Brittany, and Brittany's family for the second half of the break before finishing off the break with a weeklong road trip with Brittany and Quinn. Rachel had busied herself with various theater and music camps. Rachel pulled Santana into a hug. Santana kissed her girlfriend._

_"Hey baby girl." Santana said. "How was camp?"_

_"Boring. I was supposed to be learning, but I was obviously more talented than any of those so-called instructors." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow._

_"What?" Rachel asked._

_"Seriously, Rachel?"_

_Rachel laughed. "No. I'm just kidding. I learned so much and I think that the stuff I learned can really help the club."_

_"That's good. Just remember what we talked about." Santana said._

_"I can help out without coming off as annoying, rude, stuck up or snobby." Rachel recited._

_"That's my girl." Santana said._

_"Hey San did you get the drinks?" Brittany and Quinn came up behind them._

_"Oh, hey Rachel." Quinn said._

_"Hi Quinn, Britt." Rachel said. "How were Hawaii and the road trip?"_

_"Awesome, except for the fact that Santana said 'I wish Rachel was here' about fifteen times every day." Quinn said, smiling._

_"That's not true." Santana said._

_"So you didn't miss me?" Rachel teased._

_"Wait that'is not what I said." Santana said._

_Rachel laughed. "Calm down, I am only teasing you."_

_Santana sighed in relief. "Oh. Right. I knew that."_

_"Sure you did." Quinn laughed. "How was camp, Berry?"_

_"It was good. I think I learned some stuff that can help us win Nationals again." Rachel said._

_"That's the goal. We have to work hard again." Quinn said._

_"Britt? You okay?" Santana asked, noticing her friend had been really quiet._

_"San, that girl looks a lot like Rachel." She whispered loudly._

_"It is Rachel, B." Quinn said, exchanging a look with Santana._

_"That can't be Rachel." Brittany insisted._

_"Uh…why not?" Santana asked._

_"Because she's dressed normally." Brittany said._

_Rachel's eyes widened, and she quickly looked down at her clothes, blushing. Santana and Quinn just bursted out laughing._

_"Its me, Brittany." Rachel said._

_Brittany shook her head. "I don't think so."_

_Rachel just closed her eyes._

_"Brittany, I can guarantee you that that is Rachel." Santana said._

_"How would you know?"_

_"I think I would recognize my own girlfriend." Santana said, smiling._

_"Good point. Rachel, you are lucky you are not an imposter. But you better be careful, just in case someone is actually trying to steal your anatomy." Brittany said, causing her fellow cheerleaders to laugh again._

_"I think you mean identity, but thank you for the warning, Brittany." Rachel said, smiling. Santana decided to get her stuff out of Quinn's car and go home with Rachel. As soon as they were back in the Berry household, Santana's lips were on Rachel's._

_"I missed you so much." Santana said._

_"I know you did. I missed you too." Rachel said._

_"I'm sorry that we didn't get to spend our final high school summer together." Santana said._

_"Don't be. It's not like we spent any of the others together." Rachel said._

_"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Santana asked._

_Rachel nodded. "Sorry. But anyway, we don' need this particular summer, because we have forever right, San?"_

_Santana eagerly nodded. "Of course we do." Rachel smiled and kissed Santana again. "We're seniors this year, Ray. We're going to kick ass this year and rule the school." Santana promised. Rachel laughed._

_"You might, but I'm still Rachel Berry. I won't be kicking anyone's ass." Rachel said._

_"Rachel, you're my girlfriend. That automatically puts you at the top." Santana said. Rachel shrugged and Santana brushed some hair out of Rachel's eyes. "Let's not talk about school, okay? We still have twelve more hours until we have to be back at the shit hole. Let's enjoy them." Santana said. Rachel nodded._

_"Why don't... you order some pizza and then we can hang out on the couch. My dads left money on the counter. They went out of town and won't be back until the end of the week. I thought Daddy was going to cry when he realized he had to miss the first day of my senior year. Dad had to drag him out of the house." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow._

_"So you're telling me that we have the house to ourselves for a week?" Santana asked. "Wow. This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded._

_"But you can't keep me up all night. I'm not going to be half asleep on the first day of school." Rachel said. Santana sighed and Rachel laughed. "Baby, its okay. Like I said, we have forever to that. We only have one first day of senior year." Rachel said. Santana smiled._

_"Anything for you, baby girl." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"Anything?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "In that case... can you order a small vegan cheese pizza, some vegan mozarella cheesesticks and then whatever you want?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded._

_"So I'm ordering a small vegan cheese pizza, vegan mozarella cheeseticks, a small pepperoni and olive pizza, some non-vegan mozarella cheesesticks, a small order of pepperoni rolls, with a side of Rachel Berries?" Santana asked. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled._

_"No, you're ordering a small vegan cheese pizza, vegan mozarella cheeseticks, a small pepperoni and olive pizza, some non-vegan mozarella cheesesticks, a small order of pepperoni rolls, with a side of 'not going to happen until you brush your teeth after eating that meat.'" Rachel said. Santana laughed._

_"Aw, babe... you're no fun." Santana said. Rachel shrugged._

_"We had a deal. You can eat all the meat you want, as long as you brush your teeth before kissing me. I just have to trust that when you eat meat when I'm not around, you don't lie to me." Rachel said. Santana shook her head._

_"I've gotten in the habit of carrying around a those mini toothbrushes with the breath freshener thing in the middle. I use them like, immediately after so that I don't accidentally forget. I would never do that to you." Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"And that's why I love you. And the fact that you let me watch musicals whenever I want doesn't hurt either." Rachel said. Santana smiled._

_"Will that be happening tonight?" Santana asked. Rachel laughed and shook her head._

_"No. I haven't seen you all summer. We can watch whatever you want." Rachel said. Santana smiled as she kissed her girlfriend softly._

_"No. Tonight's all about you." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"Looks like we're at a crossroad." Rachel said. Santana nodded._

_"Looks like we are." Santana replied. Rachel smirked._

_"So how do we figure it out?" Rachel asked. Santana shrugged._

_"Well, naturally, I'm going to get my way like I always do." Santana said. Rachel shook her head._

_"Sweetie, when its between you and I, you know I always get my way. You give me everything." Rachel said. Santana shrugged again. "And I don't ask you for much. I just ask that you love me and stick by me through whatever comes." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "And you do an amazing job of it. So let me have this one thing." Rachel requested. Santana shook her head._

_"How about we compromise. Tonight's all about us. We order the pizza, choose a movie together, turn off our phones, eat, and then I'll brush my teeth so we can get our mack on. How does that sound?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled._

_"That sounds amazing, Santana. I'd love too. Now order the pizza, because I'm starving." Rachel said. Santana rolled her eyes._

_"Yes ma'am." Santana said, pulling out her phone and dialing the local pizza place. "Hello? Hi... yea can I get a small vegan cheese pizza, vegan mozarella cheeseticks, a small pepperoni and olive pizza, some non-vegan mozarella cheesesticks, and small order of pepperoni rolls?" Santana said into the phone. "Yea that's it... yea it's under the name Santana Lopez... yea. Thanks." Santana said. She gave them the address and hung up the phone as she collapsed on the couch next to Rachel. "So would you like a preview to later on tonight or you want to choose a movie?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana, pulling her down on top of her as she laid down on the couch. "I'm assuming that means you choose the first option." Santana said, smiling against Rachel's lips. Rachel laughed._

_"Obviously." she whispered. Santana laughed and moved from Rachel's lips to her neck. "Santana, if you leave a mark, you're in so much trouble." Rachel said. Santana sighed and pulled away from the girl's neck. "I'm serious, San." Rachel said._

_"Baby girl, I've left plenty of marks and you've never minded as long as I place them where your dads can't see." Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"But-"_

_"Tomorrow's the first day of senior year and you want everything to be perfect." Santana finished, rolling her eyes playfull and smiling at her girlfriend. "Fine. I won't leave a mark where its noticeable." Santana said._

_"Santana..." Rachel said warningly._

_"Baby, what's wrong with me wanting to claim my girlfriend?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled._

_"Later, okay?" Rachel said. Santana nodded and pulled away. "Wait, San..." Rachel said._

_"Ray, its fine. Let me just put my bags up in my room and then we'll choose a movie, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded and Santana stood up, giving her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek before going upstairs. Rachel looked down. Santana only kissed her on the cheek when leaving the room if she was upset. Santana came back down and sat next to Rachel on the couch. "Hey, what's wrong?" Santana asked._

_"You're mad at me, aren't you?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head with wide eyes._

_"Of course not." Santana said. She kissed Rachel softly and smiled as she pulled away. "We're good, babe. Let's choose a movie." Santana said._

Santana thought back to that day as she perfected her plans to propose to Rachel. Hiding these plans from the diva was getting easier, because Rachel's opening night was in one week. She was constantly at rehearsal. She called and made sure everyone was supposed to arrive on time. She called the caterers for the party the surprise party after the show. She called the florist. She called the hotel and made sure the rooms were still there. Everything was perfect.

'_This night is going to be perfect._' She thought.

Finally, opening night came. It was Saturday, so she did not have to go to work. She had plenty of time before she had to pick up Artie and Tina to meet their friends at the airport. Artie and Brittany had gotten engaged a month ago and Mike and Tina had been married for three years. Santana loved having some old friends in the city, especially her best friend. Finally, it was time to pick them up. They waited at the airport for about five minutes before they heard a familiar voice.

"Lopez!" Santana turned around.

"Puckerman!" she pulled her friend into a hug. "Where's Q?" Puck and Quinn had gotten married the year before.

"Right here." Quinn said. Sam, Kurt, Finn, Mr. Schue, and Mercedes followed her.

"Wheezy where's your date that you told me about?" Santana asked.

"He's coming." Mercedes said. Suddenly, Matt was behind her.

"Whoa. Hold up. You and Matt are together? Oh wow! That is so cool. You look good. How have you been? Santana said, hugging him.

"Hey San. You look good." He said, smiling. "And you're dating Rachel? I never saw that one coming. Congrats. How long have you guys been together?"

"We've been together for about ten years, now. We started dating the year that you left McKinley." Santana said.

"Ten years? No one tells me anything. You guys could have called." He said to the group.

"Hey, what's the big surprise?" Finn asked.

"Oh no. I'm not telling you guys. You can find out when it is time." Santana said, smiling at the groans of suspense. "Yea whatever. Let's get you guys to the hotel so you can get ready. The show starts in a few hours." Santana said. Soon, she was walking into the theater. She couldn't believe she was about to watch Rachel on Broadway. She was nervous for her diva. She couldn't even imagine how Rachel was feeling. The group took their seats and soon the curtain was rising. Santana held her breath as Rachel came onto the stage. She looked beautiful. Santana was mesmerized. Finn, who was sitting next to Santana, leaned over.

"She did it, San." He whispered, breaking her spell. She looked over at him, irritated.

"What?" she snapped quietly.

"Rachel. She always said she would make it to Broadway. And she did it. She finally did it." He clarified. Santana's face softened a bit.

"Yea, she did, Finnocence." He smiled at the old nickname, and both returned to the play. At the end of the play, Santana and the group rushed backstage to meet Rachel, Brittany, and Mike. The others hid while Santana, Tina, and Artie went to Rachel, Mike, and Brittany.

"San!" Brittany said, pulling her best friend into a hug before kissing her fiancée.

"You were awesome, B. You too, Chang." Santana said. Tina and Artie agreed. Mike nodded his appreciation and hugged Tina. "Congrats baby girl. You were amazing out there." Santana said, smiling at her through the mirror. Rachel turned around with a grin on her face. She pulled Santana into a kiss.

"I was so nervous." Rachel said.

"We couldn't notice." Santana said, handing her the flowers.

"We?" Rachel asked.

"Yea, we." Santana said, gesturing behind her.

Rachel looked behind her and saw their friends. "Oh my god."

"Surprise!" Santana said.

"Oh my god. You guys came?" Rachel asked, smiling and hugging all the Glee Club members

"Of course we did. You always said you were going to make it on Broadway. Did you really think that after hearing about it for three years we were going to miss it?" Kurt asked.

Rachel laughed. "Wait, Quinn, where's Puck?" she asked, her smile deflating a bit.

"He had something to take care of, but he's meeting us back at the apartment." Santana answered. Rachel nodded and the group headed back to the apartment, soon joined by Puck who had picked up the food. After everyone had eaten and was talking, Santana called a toast. "Can I just say that Britt, Mike, and Rachel were all amazing tonight?" she said earning a cheer from everyone. She looked directly at Rachel. "Rach, you were beautiful and I have never been more proud of you than I was tonight. You're finally fulfilling your dreams and I'm so happy for you baby."

Rachel smiled and silently mouthed '_Thank you._'

Santana nodded and continued. "I've loved you since we were in high school. Somehow, you managed to see past the jerk who slushied you daily and broke down my walls. I'll never be able to fully thank you for that. The past ten years have convinced me that I can't ever love anyone else as much as I love you. You 've become my world and my life. Which is why, in front of the people who were there when we first got together and sort of when we first did this, I ask you: Rachel Berry," Santana said, standing in front of Rachel, dropping to one knee, pulling the ring out of her pocket and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Will you marry me?"

Everyone held their breath as Rachel sat there, eyes going from the ring to Santana. "San?"

Santana laughed. "Rach, you should have known this was when I was going to do it." Rachel nodded. "So…will you Rach? Remember, you asked me first."

Rachel laughed. "You, my love, are a certifiable dork. Of course I'll marry you." she said, kissing Santana. "Can I have my ring back?" Santana smiled and put the ring on her finger again.

"Is it for real this time?" Kurt asked, earning a hit from Brittany, Quinn, and Mercedes.

"Way to kill the mood, Kurt." Mercedes said.

Santana laughed. "Yes it is for real this time, Kurt." She paused. "It _is_ for real this time, right Rachel?" she asked

"Yes it is for real this time, Santana." Rachel said. Everyone cheered.

"Hey guys, I don't mean to take away from the happy couple's moment, but I have some news as well." Mr. Schue said. "They're having a showcase of past National Show choir competition winners here in New York and we've been invited to perform. What do you guys think?"

"I'm totally in." Santana said. Everyone looked at her. "What? I miss performing."

Rachel smiled. "I'm in, too." Everyone quickly followed.

"What songs should we sing?" Rachel asked.

"I was thinking our Journey medley and our original songs from Regionals." Mr. Schue said. Santana smiled.

"_Trouty Mouth_?" she asked, grinning at Sam.

"No." he said. Santana laughed.

"Oh come on. Its a good song!" she insisted.

"Santana, _Trouty Mouth_ includes the lyrics 'If you tried hard enough you could suck a baby's head'. I am not getting on stage with my fiancée and have her sing that song." Rachel said.

"It was better than _Only Child _or _My Headband_." Santana teased.

"Hey!" Rachel said, smiling. Everyone laughed.

"So, Journey and _Get It Right _and _Loser Like Me_." Mr. Schue said. Santana started talking to Rachel. "Santana, will you please stop talking." Santana got an evil grin. The tables had turned.

"Whoa, Mr. Schue. This ain't Lima, Ohio. This ain't the McKinley High choir room. I ain't sixteen anymore. This is New York City. This is my apartment. I am a grown adult. But, yes. I will stop talking." Everyone laughed. "Can you guys believe last time we were all together in New York, we were performing in Nationals junior year?" Santana asked.

"Hey that was fun." Sam said

_FLASHBACK_

_New Directions walked into the lobby of their hotel. This was the first time most them had been in New York City, or even out of Ohio. __"Okay guys. Room assignments." Mr. Schue began. __"Finn and Kurt. Puck and Sam. Mike and Artie. Mercedes and Tina. Quinn and Brittany. Santana and Rachel." __He stopped as he handed them their key. __"I'm trusting you two. Please don't make me regret this." __Santana rolled her eyes and took the key. _

_"Mr. Schue, we live together. I think we can handle a few nights in a hotel room together." __Rachel pulled Santana out of the way. _

_"Mr. Schuester, I can assure you that Santana and I will be responsible and not betray your trust." She turned to glare at Santana. "Won't we?" __Santana shivered at her girlfriend's glare. She gave Mr. Schue a sweet smile that anyone but him could see the fakeness seeping through. _

_"Yes, sir." __Rachel pulled Santana to the elevator. Once inside, she glared again._

_"Santana, learn to shut up once in awhile." She said. __Santana laughed. __"This isn't funny, Santana Lopez."_

_"Actually, it kind of is." Santana said. __Rachel turned away from her. __"Sweetie…" she reached towards Rachel and pulled her closer. Rachel attempted to resist, but couldn't, as Santana was stronger._

_"No. I'm not talking to you." Rachel said._

_"Why not?" Santana asked._

_"Because you almost caused us to not be able to room together." Rachel said._

_"I understand where you're coming from, but would it have been a complete disaster? I mean, we would have been just down the hall from each other and we do live together." Santana said._

_"Santana!"_

_"Yeah it would have sucked, but we still would have been able to spend time together." Santana continued. "Its not like we aren't staying together, Rachel." __She hugged Rachel and kissed the top of her head. Rachel leaned into her girlfriend's body. __"Are you still mad at me?" Santana said._

_"No…I guess not." Rachel said. __Santana raised an eyebrow. _

_"You guess?" __Rachel laughed. _

_"I am no longer mad at you."_

_"Good. Otherwise, rooming with you wouldn't have been fun." Santana said. __The elevator opened and they went to their room._

_"What time do we have to go back down?" Rachel asked. __Santana looked down at her watch. _

_"Thirty minutes. That gives us time to unpack. Do you want to take a shower?"_

_"I don't think I have time." Rachel said._

_"Oh yeah. I forgot that I was talking to the queen of the two hour shower." Santana said. __Rachel smiled. _

_"So let's just unpack." Rachel said. __Santana shook her head. _

_"I have a better idea." __She grabbed Rachel and kissed her neck._

_"Santana…we have to unpack."_

_"No, we can do that later." Santana insisted._

_"Santana, come on. We told Mr. Schue we would be responsible." Rachel said._

_"Oh you didn't know? I have this terminal disease that causes me to lie to adults. Yeah, its pretty bad. There's only one cure." Santana said. __Rachel smirked. _

_"And what would that be?"_

_"There's a certain type of berries." Santana said. __Rachel rolled her eyes at the corniness. _

_"And that type would be…?" __Santana kissed Rachel's neck again. _

_"Rachel Berries." She whispered. __Rachel turned around. _

_"That's the only cure?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow. __Santana eagerly nodded her head. _

_"Well, I guess if it'll save you, then that's okay." Rachel said. __Santana grinned as Rachel leaned up and kissed her. The two fell down one of the beds. Santana pulled away to admire Rachel. __"What?" Rachel asked. __Santana shook her head. _

_"You're beautiful, you know that?" __Rachel smiled. Santana was about to lean down when there was a knock at the door. She rolled her eyes. Rachel opened her mouth to respond but Santana quickly kissed her before she could say anything. Rachel forgot her task and ignored the door. Suddenly, the door opened. _

_"Hey guys. Mr. Schue wanted me to give you your other key and tell you guys that we have to be downstairs in ten minutes." Quinn said as she and Brittany entered the room. __Quinn looked up. __"Oh! My bad." __Santana glared. _

_"Since when is it okay to walk into people's hotel rooms?"_

_"Sorry." Quinn apologized. "I knocked though."_

_"Did we say come in?" Santana asked._

_"No." Brittany said. "I got the question right, San. What do I win?" __Quinn and Rachel looked at her in disbelief. Santana smiled a genuinely sweet smile at her best friend. _

_"Good job, B. Your prize is that you and Quinn get to leave the room. How does that sound?" __Brittany stared at Santana. _

_"I don't think you put a lot of thought into that prize, S. But I'll take it anyway." __Quinn set the key on the dresser and the two left. Santana just laughed at Brittany._

_"How…how has Brittany managed to make it this far in school?" Rachel said._

_"Brittany's actually pretty smart. Her IQ is like 160." Santana said._

_Rachel's eyes widened. "160? Are you serious?" __Santana nodded. _

_"B is book smart. She just has very little common sense and a lot of blonde moments. I was just as surprised as you. I was actually kind of mad when she told me her IQ."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because mine's 159. She beat me by one stupid point." Santana explained._

_"Your IQ is 159? Why didn't you ever tell me?" Rachel asked._

_"I didn't want you to think I was some kind of nerd." Santana smiled. _

_"You are a nerd, San. You're my nerd, though." Rachel said._

_"I guess I can live with that. Want to go downstairs?" Santana asked. __Rachel nodded._

_END FLASHBACK_

"_Anyway you want it. That's the way you need it. Anyway you want it._"

Santana, Rachel, and their friends sang. It had been over a decade since they had sung those words. They were rehearsing for the showcase. They had all taken a week off from work and (to everyone's surprise) Rachel had offered her part to her understudy for the week so that she could rehearse with the group.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Rachel, are you sure about this? I mean this is Broadway." Santana had asked._

_"San, nothing is more important to me than my dads, you, and our friends. I have a chance to perform with my friends again. I've never been as happy on a stage as when I was with New Directions." Rachel explained. __Everyone smiled and accepted Rachel's decision._

_END FLASHBACK_

They went through the song, no one needing help remembering the choreography, except Sam who had not been at McKinley at the time. They had already gone through _Faithfully. _Then they launched into _Don't Stop Believin.'_ The song felt like home as they harmonized the opening notes.

"_Just a small town girl. Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_ Finn sang.

Rachel and Santana smiled at each other as Rachel went to sing.

"_Just a city boy. Born in raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_ She sang.

The group harmonized for a bit while there was a guitar solo.

"_A singer in a smoky room." _Puck sang.

"_The smell of wine and cheap perfume." _Santana sang.

They smiled as they sang together.

"_For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on."_

Rachel smiled as she sang with Artie and Finn.

"_Strangers waiting. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searching in the night. Street light. People. Living just a fine emotion hiding somewhere in the night._"

The group began to harmonize and dance again.

"_Workin' hard to get my fill. Everybody wants the thrill." _Kurt sang.

"_Payin' anything to roll the dice. Just one more time."_ Artie joined.

"_Some will win."_ Santana sang.

"_Some will lose. Some are born to sing the blues."_ Puck joined.

"_Oh the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on. Strangers waiting. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searching in the night. Street light. People. Living just a fine emotion hiding somewhere in the night."_ Mercedes and Artie sang as the group harmonized and danced.

"_Don't Stop!"_ Mercedes sang.

"_Don't stop. Believin'. Hold on to that feelin'. Street light. People. Don't stop. Believin'. Hold on to that feelin'. Street light. People. Don't stop!"_ the group finished.

Mr. Schue clapped. "That was awesome you guys. Why don't you take a break and then we'll work on the original songs." Everyone went and got water. Santana went up to Rachel.

"So…you were just as amazing as you were at Regionals sophomore year." Santana said.

"You were awesome, too." Rachel said.

"I'm not the one on Broadway." Santana said.

"Doesn't mean you aren't talented." Rachel said. Mr. Schue walked up to them.

"Hey guys. Rachel, I was think that maybe you could also sing _Don't Rain On My Parade_?" Santana smiled at Rachel.

"I'd love to Mr. Schue. But only if Santana sings _Valerie_."

"Santana?" Santana was shocked.

"Sure." She agreed. Rachel smiled at her. Everyone who overheard cheered.

"Guys, we need one more song. Suggestions?" Mr. Schue said.

"What about _River Deep, Mountain High_?" Quinn suggested. "Mercedes and San were great in that." Everyone agreed.

"You guys want me to have two songs?" Santana asked. Everyone nodded.

"Okay. We have songs." Mr. Schue said. "Let's work on _Get It Right_. Rachel, take it away."

Rachel got on the stage and began singing. When she got to the chorus she smiled at Santana.

"_What can you do when your good isn't good enough? And all that you tumbles down. Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things. I just want to fix it somehow. But how many times will it take? How many times will it take? To get it right." _she sang.

_"So I throw up my fist. Throw a punch in the air! And accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair. I'll send out a wish. Yeah I'll send up a prayer. Then finally someone will see how much I care! What can you do when your good isn't good enough? And all that you tumbles down. Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things. I just want to fix it somehow. But how many times will it take? How many times will it take? To get it right. To get it right." _

Santana was the first one to clap when Rachel was finished. The rest of the group got on stage and joined her for _Loser Like Me_. Rachel started singing.

"_Yeah you may think that I'm a zero. But hey, everyone you wanna be. Probably started off like me. You may say that I'm freak show."_

Santana grinned as Rachel danced past her.

"_I don't care."_ She said, grabbing Rachel's hand. Rachel grinned.

"_But hey, give it just a little time. I bet you're gonna change your mind." _

Rachel, Brittany and Santana started dancing.

"_All of the dirt you've been throwing my way, it ain't so hard to take. That's right. Cause I know one day you'll be screaming my name. And I'll just look away. That's right." _

The group joined in.

"_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me."_

"_Push me up against the lockers. And hey, all I do is shake it off. I'll get you back when I'm your boss. I'm not thinking about you haters. Cause hey, I could be a superstar. I'll see you when you wash my car."_ Finn sang. Rachel sang again.

"_All of the dirt you've been throwing my way, it ain't so hard to take. That's right. Cause I know one day you'll be screaming my name. And I'll just look away. That's right."_

The group joined again

"_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me. Hey you over there. Keep the L up, up in the air. Hey you over there. Keep the L up cause I don't care. You can throw your sticks and you can throw your stones. Like a rocket just watch me go. Yeah. L-O-S-E-R. I can only be who I are! Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me. Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You __wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me!"_

"_A loser like me." _Rachel sang.

"_A loser like me."_ The group sang.

"_A loser like me."_ Rachel sang.

"_A loser like me!"_ the group finished.

"That was awesome you guys. We're going to be great at that showcase." Mr. Schue said. Santana pulled Rachel into a hug. Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing was heard.

"Sorry! That's my work phone." Santana said.

"I thought you took off." Rachel said.

"I keep it on me just in case they need to ask me a question." Santana said as she answered. "Lopez."

"San, you're from Lima, Ohio right?" Aidan asked.

"Uh…yea…why?" she asked.

"Do you know a Quinn and Noah Puckerman?"

"Yea I do. Why?"

"How can we get a hold of them?" he asked.

"They're with me right now. What's going on?" she asked.

"Can you bring them here please? As soon as you can." He said.

"Uh…yeah. Sure. What's going on?" she asked again.

"We'll explain when you get here." He replied and hung up.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"I have no idea. But Q, Puck, you guys need to come with me. Mr. Schue, I'm sorry, but we have to go for a bit." Santana explained. The three left and went to Santana's office. "All right, what's going on?" she asked her team.

"Mr. and Mrs. Puckerman?" Evan asked.

"Yes?" Quinn asked.

"Your daughter, Beth Corcoran? She went missing this morning." Evan said.

"Beth is missing?" Puck asked.

"We gave Beth up when she was born. Why are you telling us this instead of Shelby?" Quinn asked.

"Shelby Corcoran was murdered two days ago." Evan said. Santana, Puck, and Quinn exchanged a look.

"Does Rachel know?" Quinn asked.

"I don't think so." Santana replied.

"Rachel, as in your girlfriend?" Marcus asked. Santana nodded. "Why would she know about Shelby Corcoran's death?"

"Shelby is Rachel's mother." Santana explained, not wanting to go into the entire story and no one made her.

"We think that whoever killed Shelby took Beth." Aidan said. Suddenly Puck spoke up.

"San, what about Beth?"

"Puck, I'll do everything I can to find Beth." Santana said.

"What will happen to Beth when we find her? Will she come with us?" Quinn asked. Evan nodded.

"San, I know it is your week off…"

"I'll make it work." Santana excused herself to call Rachel.

_"Hey baby. What's up with having to take Quinn and Noah to the FBI office?"_ she asked.

"Rachel, we need to talk. Meet me at the apartment." Santana said. She took Quinn and Puck to the hotel and went back to her apartment. "Rachel?" she called out.

"In the living room." She replied. Santana went into the room.

"Rachel, the reason I had to take Puck and Quinn to the office is because Beth went missing this morning." Santana said.

"Beth as in Quinn's daughter?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"And Puck's."

"Well, yeah. Of course. But…why didn't they call Shelby?" Rachel asked. Santana closed her eyes.

"Rach…Shelby…she…well she was murdered two days ago.

"What?" Rachel said.

"Baby girl, I am so sorry." Santana said. Rachel just sat there. "Ray, are you okay?" Rachel nodded.

"Yeah…I just…I wish my mom had wanted me in her life the way that she'd wanted Beth in her life, you know?"

"Baby girl, you didn't need Shelby. You have your dads, who love you more than anyone in the world. In Shelby's words, she was your mother. Not your mom."

"Yea…you're right, Santana." Rachel said.

"And I'm here if you need me. You know that I know what you're going through." Santana said. She thought back to how Rachel had helped her when her parents had been killed. "You helped me back then, and I'm going to help you."

"Baby, I appreciate that, but I want you to concentrate on finding Beth. In a way, she's my little sister." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I'm going to be working through the night to try to find her. Speaking of, I better get back to the office and get to work." Rachel nodded.

"I'm going to call Noah and Quinn and see if they want to come by."

"I think they'd like that." Santana said. She kissed her girlfriend before leaving. "I love you, Rachel." She said.

Rachel tried to smile. "I love you too, Santana. Be safe." Santana smiled softly.

"Always." By the time Santana had returned to her office, they had found a suspect. Santana went in to interrogate him. "Miles Creighton?"

"Yea?" the boy asked.

"I'm Agent Lopez. Miles, we have evidence of you in Shelby Corcoran's apartment on the day she was murdered. Care to explain?" Santana asked.

"I can explain." Miles said. Santana channeled her inner high school HBIC persona.

"That's exactly what I'm asking you to do."

"Look, I have a good explanation."

"See, I'm having a really hard time believing you, considering you aren't giving it to me." Santana said.

"I was at Ms. Corcoran's house because…she paid me to walk her dog." He said.

"The Corcoran's didn't have a dog. Try another lie." Santana replied. He looked down and didn't say anything. "Look, Miles, you're sixteen. That means you can be tried as an adult. And if you can't give me a good reason for being in Shelby Corcoran's apartment at the time she was murdered, I'm going to have no choice but to arrest you for murder. So I'm going to ask you again. Why were you in Shelby Corcoran's apartment when she was murdered?" She was met with silence and she hit the table. "Why were you there?" she half-yelled. She was met with silence again. Santana nodded and started to gather up the papers she had. "Okay. If that's how you want to be, then fine. I'll be back to read you your rights." She stood up and started to walk out.

"Wait." Santana turned around.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I was in Ms. Corcoran's apartment because I was trying to protect her. But I was too late. By the time I got there she was already dead, he was already gone, and Beth had already called the cops." Santana raised an eyebrow and sat back down.

"Go on."

"I knew that she'd been having some issues with her boyfriend." Miles said.

"And you knew that how?" Santana asked, a little creeped out.

"The Corcoran's were my next door neighbors. The walls are thin. It wasn't that hard to hear all the yelling and crying." the boy said. Santana nodded.

"So you were trying to protect Shelby-"

"And Beth." he interrupted.

"Beth? Was Shelby's boyfriend violent towards Beth?" Santana asked.

"I think so. Sometimes she would come out of the apartment with bruises, and I know Ms. Corcoran would never hit Beth. I'm sorry I'm not being very helpful." he said.

"You are doing fine, sweetie." Santana said, her voice taking on a softer tone. The boy smiled up at her. Santana gave him a kind smile. "But it would be very helpful if you could give us a name. Have you ever met Shelby's boyfriend?" Santana asked.

"Once. I was going into my apartment at the same time they were going into theirs. His name is…Victor. Victor Nelson." he said. Santana wrote that down in the file.

"Okay. Miles, thank you so much for cooperating. We're going to call your mom so she can come pick you up." Santana said She started to walk out.

"There's something else." he said. Santana looked back. "I think Victor took Beth. Late last night, I heard Beth talking to someone. I knew it was wrong, but I listened anyway. I thought it was him, but I wasn't sure. Then I heard her scream and I heard someone tell her to shut up or he would kill her." Miles said. Santana closed her eyes, thankful Quinn and Puck weren't there to hear that.

"Go…go on." The boy started to, but stopped, seeing Santana tearing up.

"Agent Lopez, are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yea, I'm fine. I just…I kind of have a personal connection with Beth and I don't want her to get hurt. That's why your cooperation was so important." Santana said.

"How do you know Beth?" he asked.

"Did you know Shelby adopted Beth?" Santana asked.

"I think Beth mentioned it once or twice." he said. Santana nodded.

"Beth's biological parents are two of my very good friends. I grew up with them and I was even at the hospital the day she was born." Santana said. Miles took this in. He nodded, expecting her to go on. "Miles, I'm fine. Please continue." Santana said. She was not about to spill her guts to a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Anyway, that was the last time I saw, well heard, Beth. I heard a door slam, and when Beth wasn't in her apartment this morning I knew something was wrong. That is when I called you guys." he said. Santana nodded.

"Is there anything else?" she asked. The boy shook his head. "Okay. We'll call your mother. You were very helpful. Thank you." Santana left the room. Evan met her in the hallway. "We know who we are looking for." she said.

"Lopez, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." she said.

"You sure?" Evan asked.

"I told you, I'm fine. We have a kid to find." Santana said. They went back to their squad room. "We're looking for a guy named Victor Nelson." Santana said. Aidan typed the name into his computer.

"His credit card was last used in…a convenience store near his apartment building, about an hour ago." he said.

"Aidan, send me that address. Let's go. Out in the car in five minutes." Evan said. Aidan sent the address and then everyone grabbed their guns and badges and went to the parking lot. They split up and got into two different cars, so they could get Beth out of danger if they found her. They drove to the address. They got inside the building.

"Marcus, San, find the girl. Aidan, you are with me." Evan said. Santana and Marcus went down the hall in search of Beth. Santana checked the first closet.

"Clear." she whispered. Marcus nodded and Santana checked the next closet. There was a girl tied to a chair with tape on her mouth. "We found the girl." she whispered into her microphone. She put her gun away and went over to the girl. "Beth?" she whispered. The girl nodded. "Hi. I'm Santana. That's Marcus. We're here to help you." she smiled and untied the girl and gently took the tape of her mouth.

_"Lopez, get the girl out of here. Now."_ she heard in her ear. Santana pulled her gun back out.

"Stay with me. I won't let anything happen to you." she whispered to Beth. The girl nodded. Marcus and Santana carefully lead Beth out of the building. As they approached their car, they heard a yell. "Beth, get in the car!" Santana yelled. The girl obeyed and Santana closed her door and quickly got in the car, as did Marcus. As they started to drive away, they heard gunshots. "Beth, get down." Santana ordered. She turned around and realized that the gunshots were from her teammates. She and Marcus shared a look as they drove back to the office.

"San, you want to call your friends and tell them she is safe?" Evan asked when they were all back.

"Yea, I will. But can I talk to her first?" Santana asked. He nodded. Santana walked over to the girl, who was sitting at a table. "Hi Beth." she said, smiling. She sat down in another chair at the table.

Beth gave her a small smile. "Thank you for saving me."

"No problem, sweetie." Santana said.

"My mom's dead." Beth said. Santana nodded. "What's going to happen to me?" Beth asked.

"Beth, did your mom ever tell you that she adopted you?" Santana asked.

"Yea, she did. She told me that she had another daughter, but she couldn't keep her and by the time she found her, she was already grown up. But her daughter had a friend who was pregnant and couldn't take care of the baby…me…so she let my mom adopt me." Beth said.

"Well, I happen to know your biological parents. They're good friends of mine. They're great people and since your mom didn't have any living relatives, this is the only place for you to go." Santana said.

"What makes you think they're going to want me now?" Beth said.

"Because now they're able to take care of you and want to be apart of your life. They were just too young when you were born." Santana said.

"How do you know that?" Beth asked.

"Because I was there the day you were born." Santana said. Beth looked at her.

"You were?" Santana nodded.

"Quinn hated to give you up. She just…she couldn't properly care for you." Santana explained. Beth nodded. "Do you want to meet them?" Santana asked. Beth tentatively nodded.

"Do you know my mom's daughter…my sister?" Santana smiled.

"Yea I do."

"Is she nice?" Beth asked. Santana nodded.

"She's very nice."

"Do you think that maybe she'd want to meet me?"

"I know for a fact that she does. Sit tight. I'll go make a few phone calls." Santana said. She walked back to her desk and pulled out her phone.

_"Hello?"_

"Rachel?" she said.

_"San? Are you okay?"_ Rachel asked.

"I'm fine. And so is Beth."

_"Oh my god. You found her?"_ Rachel asked.

"Yea we did. She wants to meet Q, Puck, and you." Santana said.

_"Me? Why does she want to meet me?"_

"Shelby told her all about you. She thinks of you as her sister." Santana could see the smile on Rachel's face.

_"We'll be down there soon."_ Rachel said. Santana went and got Beth a snack and some water. She sat with the girl for about twenty minutes. She learned that Beth was really funny. '_She definitely inherited that from Puck_.' Santana thought.

"Santana?" Evan said from behind her. Santana turned around and saw Rachel, Puck, and Quinn. She turned back to Beth.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Beth nodded. As soon as Santana walked up, Rachel enveloped her into a hug.

"I'm so happy that you're safe." Rachel said.

"I told you I would be." Santana said. As soon as Rachel released her, Quinn grabbed her into a hug.

"Thank you for finding her." she whispered.

"No problem, Q."

"Where is she?" Puck asked quietly. Santana pointed in the direction she had just come from.

"She's right through there. Are you guys ready?" Santana asked. All three nodded. Santana led them to the girl. "Beth?" Santana said. Beth looked up from the book she had been reading. "Beth, this is Rachel. She's your…well I guess she's your sister." Santana said.

"Hi." Rachel whispered. Santana could see the nerves threatening to come out. She put an arm around the girl's waist to calm her down.

"Hi." Beth replied, offering a small smile.

"And this is Quinn and Noah. They're your parents." Santana said.

"Hi." Puck said. Quinn smiled.

"Hi." she said.

"You guys are my parents?" Beth asked. They nodded. Beth smiled.

"We'll leave you guys alone." Rachel said. Santana and Rachel left the table and went back to her desk. Santana sat in her desk chair and Rachel sat on her desk. "She looks just like Quinn." Rachel said, watching the three interact.

"She acts just like Puck." Santana said, smirking.

"Lord help that child." Rachel joked.

"At least its not the other way around." Santana said.

"I seem to remember your infatuation with Noah because of his looks. And Quinn's attitude did get her the head cheerleader spot, then helped her regain the head cheerleading spot after she lost it." Rachel said.

"No, Quinn regained her head cheerleader status because she told Coach Sylvester about my surgery the summer before junior year."

"They look like a family." Rachel said, ignoring Santana's comment.

"Yea, they do." Santana said, hugging Rachel close to her. As Santana watched the three, she looked at Rachel. She thought back to when they were still a secret to their friends.

_FLASHBACK_

_They'd been dating for all of two days and Santana couldn't believe what was happening. She was feeling… jealous? Santana Lopez never got jealous of anybody. But there she was getting jealous of Finnoncence, of all people. Then again, he did get to kiss Rachel in public. And spend time with her while she was wearing her Britney Spears outfit._

_"I was pretty sure Artie's legs don't work." Quinn said. Finn and Artie had just announced that they were on the football team._

_"Wait, you're back on the football team?" Rachel asked Finn. He nodded._

_"Suddenly, you're way hotter to me. Weird." Santana said. Rachel looked at her and Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked in her direction. To anyone else, it could seem as though Santana was sending Rachel a message like 'Watch your back, dwarf.' But Rachel knew that Santana was just flirting with her. However, she wasn't in the mood for her secret girlfriend's flirtatious actions. She had to deal with her not-secret boyfriend's actions. Mr. Schue walked in._

_"Guys, how about we get to work on 'Toxic.' Santana are you ready?" Mr. Schue asked._

_"I'm always ready to sing a solo Berry did not get." Santana said. She made her way down to the front of the room, smirking at Rachel as she walked by. After Glee rehearsal, Santana cornered Rachel after everyone had left. "Berry, are you okay?" Santana quietly asked._

_"I'm fine, Santana." Rachel said, holding back tears._

_"No, you aren't. Rachel, what's wrong? I'm sorry for flirting with Finn. Is that what this is about?" Santana asked._

_"No. Well, yeah, that did hurt. But I can't believe that Finn would rejoin the football team. He said he would do anything to make me feel safe." Rachel said._

_"Where you wearing your Britney outfit when he said that?" Santana asked._

_"Well, yeah…" Santana smirked. "What are you smiling at, Santana?"_

_"Well, that outfit is very distracting." she said, grabbing Rachel's waist._

_"Santana now isn't the time for this." Rachel said._

_"Rachel, come on. Why do you even care about Finn? You have me." Santana said._

_"San, we've only been dating two days. I've been with Finn since Regionals." Rachel said._

_"And? What's your point?" Santana asked._

_"Did you really expect me to get over a three month relationship in a day?" Rachel asked._

_"Maybe…" Santana said._

_"Santana! Come on." Rachel said._

_"I'm only kidding Rachel. Of course not I didn't expect you to do that. But just remember that even if Finn does not like your new look, I definitely do." Santana said._

_"Really?" Rachel said._

_"Yea, I do. And I think that matters more since I'm more important, right?" Santana asked, smiling._

_"Yes you are." Rachel said, smiling back._

_"But just know that if you want to go back to your old clothes, I'm fine with that too. Just feel free to keep that outfit." Santana said._

_"Santana Lopez!" Rachel laughed._

_"Yes?" she asked innocently. Rachel rolled her eyes. "How about you and I go back to my house?" Santana said, kissing Rachel. Rachel smiled into the kiss._

_"San. Santana. Wait." She pulled away_

_"What's wrong?" Santana asked._

_"I'm not ready for…you know…" Rachel trailed off._

_"Rach, I get that. And I can't believe this is about to come out of my mouth, but I'm willing to wait until you are ready. I don't care how long it takes. I'll wait. I have never said that to anyone before, but its how I feel." Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"Thank you Santana."_

_"No problem, babe."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Rachel looked at Santana. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?" Santana snapped out of her daydream.

"You're staring off into space." Rachel said.

"I was thinking about high school." She said.

"What about it?"

"The time I told you I'd wait until you were ready to take us to the next level." Santana said. Rachel smiled. She started to say something, but they were interrupted.

"San?"

Santana stood up. "Yea Q?"

"Is there anyway Beth can come to the showcase?" she asked.

"Quinn, you're Beth's mother and her new legal guardian. She can go anywhere you want, as long as its legal." Santana said. Puck laughed.

"Oh wow. Santana Lopez taking the law into consideration. Things have certainly changed since high school." he said.

"Yea well, I'm a federal agent. I kind of have to." Santana said.

"Beth, do you want to come back to the hotel with Puck and I?" Quinn asked. Beth nodded her head.

"Sure." She went to get her stuff.

"Q, are you happy?" Santana asked.

"Extremely." Quinn said, hugging Puck.

"Mom? Dad?" they heard a tentative voice ask. Quinn and Puck smiled widely and turned around.

"Yes sweetie?" Quinn asked.

"I think I'm ready to go." Beth said, smiling softly. Quinn nodded. Santana gathered her stuff and the five walked out of the building.

"See you guys at rehearsal tomorrow." Rachel said. Puck and Quinn nodded.

"Bye guys. Thanks, San." Quinn said. Beth walked over and hugged Santana. The older girl slightly hesitated out of surprise before hugging back.

"Thanks Agent Lopez." she said.

"Anytime, sweetie." Santana said, smiling. Quinn and Puck smiled at her and Santana pulled away and turned to see a smiling Rachel. She walked over to her fiancée. "I think Beth is going to be all right." Santana said.

"Me too." Rachel said. They went to their apartment. "So how long did it take to find her?" Rachel said.

"I only had to do one interrogation, although it took awhile to get him to actually _talk_." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"The important thing is, she's okay." Rachel said.

"You're right." Santana agreed.

"I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too."

"What you do for the people you find is amazing. You're an amazing person, Santana." Rachel said.

"Who would have thought that after sixteen years of bullying people, I'd grow up to help them? You, Rachel Berry, changed me." Santana said.

"Santana, you're great at what you do." Rachel said. Santana smiled and pulled Rachel into a hug.

"I know how much you worry whenever I go to work." Santana kissed the top of Rachel's head.

"I know, but I also know that you work is extremely important. Every time you go to work or I hear something about the FBI on the news, I'm extremely proud of you." Rachel said.

"I know. I figured that one out when you called me freaking out after I was on the news after a case." Santana said.

"They mentioned your name and even interviewed you. It was epic!" Rachel said.

"Did you really just say epic?" Santana teased.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel sat on the couch in the apartment she shared with Santana. She turned on the news to distract herself from the fact that Santana was working a case and was late. She did this every time it happened. She didn't want to allow herself to think about what might be happening. Suddenly, the face of the girl she had just been thinking about filled the television screen. _"_And now we are interviewing FBI Agent Santana Lopez, who rescued the missing child." the news reporter said._

"_Santana?" Rachel said._

"_Agent Lopez, what was going through your mind when you entered the building? You had to have known that there was a chance the kidnappers were armed and waiting for you."_

"_Well, the only thing on my mind was rescuing the child. I would have gone to any length to save that child, but fortunately it didn't have to come to that." Santana said._

"_And everyone is okay? Your teammates and the child, as well as yourself?" _

"_Yes, we're all okay. The child is in perfect health with the exception of a few bruises. No one is seriously hurt." Santana said._

"_Well, except for the kidnappers." the news reporter said. __Santana chuckled._

"_Yea. Except for them."_

"_Thank you for your time, Agent Lopez." __Santana nodded._

"_No problem." __Soon her face was gone. Rachel checked and saw that the news was live. She quickly pulled out her phone._

"_Lopez." Rachel heard._

"_San!" Rachel screamed._

"_Hey! Are you okay?" Santana asked._

"_I'm fine." Rachel said._

"_Did you need something? I mean, you know I'd love to talk to you, but I'm wrapping up the case." Santana said._

"_I know. I'm sorry, I just saw your interview and I had to call you!" __Santana laughed._

"_Were you watching the news to distract yourself from the fact that I was working a case again?" Santana guessed._

"_Maybe." Rachel said. __Santana laughed again. _"_I am so proud of you!" Rachel said._

"_Thank you, baby. Listen, I really want to talk, but I have to go. I'll call you when I'm on my way home." Santana said._

"_I understand. I'll see you soon, okay?" Rachel said._

"_Bye, baby." __Santana hung up the phone. __Rachel waited about two hours before she fell asleep. Suddenly, she felt someone shaking her. _"_Rachel? Sweetie, wake up." Santana whispered. __Rachel opened her eyes._

"_San?" she muttered sleepily._

"_Hey baby girl." Santana said._

"_You're home. You're safe. You're all right." Rachel said._

"_I told you I was okay." Santana said._

"_I know. I just have to see it to believe it."_

"_Rachel Berry, I am always going to come home to you. You know that." Santana said. __Rachel smiled at the standing girl for a moment, before her smile quickly became a frown. Santana stared at Rachel in confusion. _"_What did I do?" Santana asked._

"_Its not what you did, its what you didn't do. You never called me." Rachel accused._

"_Sweetie, I just got home. Its almost four in the morning. I didn't want to wake you up by calling you." Santana said._

"_But you had no problem waking me up by shaking me?" Rachel teased._

"_I knew that you'd be mad if I didn't wake you up at all. I didn't want to wake you up twice, so I figured I wanted to at least be here when I woke you up." Santana explained. __Rachel smiled._

"_I really am proud of you, San." Rachel said._

"_I know you are." __Rachel smiled._

"_I'm always proud of you. You're doing a great thing with your life. You're an amazing person, San."_

"_Thank you baby." __Santana smiled and kissed Rachel. _"_Go back to sleep sweetie. I don't have to go to work tomorrow, so we can hang out all day tomorrow, okay?" she suggested. __Rachel nodded._

"_Okay. Good night, sweetie." Rachel said. __She leaned up and kissed her girlfriend._

"_Good night baby girl." __Santana dropped a light kiss to her forehead before getting ready for bed and falling asleep._

END FLASHBACK

"I'm always proud of you, Santana." Rachel said.

"Hey, I'm proud of you too Miss Broadway Star." Santana said.

"Not for the week." Rachel smiled.

"Another example of things that make me proud of you. You gave up your _debut_ Broadway role for an entire week just to perform with New Directions again." Santana said.

"When I was rehearsing _Don't Stop Believin',_ it felt like we were performing at Regionals sophomore year. I remember feeling so happy that day. I was convinced we were going to win, Finn had just told me he loved me…" Rachel trailed off at Santana's glare. "Sorry. Anyway, the point is, it felt like home. And this time I was happy because I was with all of my friends again, I finally made it on Broadway, you proposed…" Santana chuckled.

"Nice save, Berry." The rest of the week went by quickly. Everyone got to know Beth. The group rehearsed. Soon, the day of the showcase arrived. Santana woke up that morning before her alarm went off. She stared at the ceiling for a while before she felt Rachel stir.

"Morning." Rachel said.

"Hey."

"You nervous?" Rachel asked.

"I haven't performed in front of people since I was a senior in high school. What do you think?" Santana asked.

"No?" Rachel teased.

"You're a dork sometimes." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"I know." Santana and Rachel stayed in bed for a while longer. Finally Rachel had to say something.

"We should probably get up. We have last minute rehearsals." Santana groaned.

"Fine." she agreed. After an hour of rehearsal, it was show time. Santana watched from backstage as Finn and Rachel sang _Faithfully_.

"_Highway run into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round. You're on my mind." _Finn sang.

"_Restless hearts sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love along the wire_." Rachel sang.

"_They say that the road ain't no place to start a family. Right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be_." they sang together.

"_Boy, you stand by me_." Rachel sang.

"_I'm forever yours faithfully_." they sang together.

"_Circus life under the big top world. We all need the clowns to make us laugh. Through space and time. Always another show. Wondering where I am lost without you. And being a part ain't easy on this love affair. Two strangers learn to fall in love again. I get the joy of rediscovering you."_they sang together.

"_Oh, girl, you stand by me_." Finn sang.

"_I'm forever yours faithfully_." they sang.

The group joined in.

"_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Faithfully. I'm still yours."_

"_I'm forever yours faithfully_." Finn and Rachel finished the song and got ready for the next song.

"_Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it."_the group sang.

"_She loves to laugh. She loves to sing. She does everything. She loves to move. She loves to groove. She loves the lovin' things."_Finn sang.

"_It won't be long, yes till you're alone when your lover, oh, he hasn't come home. Cause he's lovin', he's touchin', he's squeezin' another."_Rachel sang.

"_Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. She said, any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. Na na na na na na Na na na na na. Na na na na na na. Na na na na na."_the group sang.

"_I was alone. I never knew. What good love could do."_ Puck sang.

"_Ooh, then we touched. Then we sang about the lovin' things."_Finn and Rachel sang.

"_Cause he's lovin', he's touchin', he's squeezin' another."_Rachel sang.

"_Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. She said, any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. Na na na na na na. Na na na na na. Na na na na na na. Na na na na na. Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. He said, any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. Any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. She said, any way you want it. That's the way you need it. Any way you want it. Any way you want it. That's the way you need it." _the group finished the song.

They went on to sing _Don't Stop Believin'. _

_Just a small town girl. Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_ Finn sang.

Rachel and Santana smiled at each other as Rachel went to sing.

"_Just a city boy. Born in raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_ She sang.

The group harmonized for a bit while there was a guitar solo.

"_A singer in a smoky room." _Puck sang.

"_The smell of wine and cheap perfume." _Santana sang.

They smiled as they sang together.

"_For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on."_

Rachel smiled as she sang with Artie and Finn.

"_Strangers waiting. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searching in the night. Street light. People. Living just a fine emotion hiding somewhere in the night._"

The group began to harmonize and dance again.

"_Workin' hard to get my fill. Everybody wants the thrill." _Kurt sang.

"_Payin' anything to roll the dice. Just one more time."_ Artie joined.

"_Some will win."_ Santana sang.

"_Some will lose. Some are born to sing the blues."_ Puck joined.

"_Oh the movie never ends. It goes on and on and on and on. Strangers waiting. Up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searching in the night. Street light. People. Living just a fine emotion hiding somewhere in the night."_ Mercedes and Artie sang as the group harmonized and danced.

"_Don't Stop!"_ Mercedes sang.

"_Don't stop. Believin'. Hold on to that feelin'. Street light. People. Don't stop. Believin'. Hold on to that feelin'. Street light. People. Don't stop!"_ the group finished.

After that song, it was time for _Valerie_. Santana got ready to sing.

_"Well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water. And I think of all the things, what you're doing and in my head I paint a picture. Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess. And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress. Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me. Why don't you come on over Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie? Did you have to go to jail, put your house on up for sale, did you get a good lawyer? I hope you didn't catch a tan, I hope you find the right man who'll fix it for you Now are you shopping anywhere, changed the color of your hair, and are you busy? And did you have to pay the fine you were dodging all the time are you still dizzy? Yeah. Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess. And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress. Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me. Why don't you come on over Valerie, Valerie, Valerie,Valerie? Well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water. And I think of all the things, what you're doing and in my head I paint a picture. Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess. And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress. Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me .Why don't you come on over Valerie, ,Valerie? Yeah why don't you come on over Valerie?" _she sang. As she finished, Rachel pulled her into a hug and got ready to sing Don't Rain on My Parade.

_"Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter. Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter. Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade! Don't tell me not to fly- I've simply got to. If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you. Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade! I'll march my band out, I'll beat my drum. And if I'm fanned out, your turn at bat, sir. At least I didn't fake it. Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it! But whether I'm the rose Of sheer perfection, Or freckle on the nose Of life's complexion, The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye, I gotta fly once, I gotta try once, Only can die once, right, sir? Ooh, life is juicy, Juicy, and you see I gotta have my bite, sir! Get ready for me, love, cause I'm a commer, I simply gotta march, My heart's a drummer. Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade! I'm gonna live and live now, Get what I want-I know how, One roll for the whole show bang, One throw, that bell will go clang, Eye on the target and wham One shot, one gun shot, and BAM Hey, Mister Armstein, Here I am! I'll march my band out, I will beat my drum, And if I'm fanned out, Your turn at bat, sir, At least I didn't fake it. Hat, sir, I guess I didn't make it. Get ready for me, love, 'cause I'm a commer, I simply gotta march, My heart's a drummer. Nobody, no, nobody Is gonna rain on my parade!"_ Rachel sang. This time it was Santana's turn to hug her. They heard the opening notes to Beth and moved out of the way. Puck and Quinn had requested to each sing a song that had helped them through Quinn's pregnancy.

_"Beth, I hear you callin'. But I can't come home right now. Me and the boys are playin'. And we just can't find the sound."_ Puck sang.

_"Just a few more hours and I'll be right home to you. I think I hear them callin'. Oh Beth, what can I do? Beth, what can I do?"_ the other guys joined in.

_"You say you feel so empty. That our house just ain't a home. I'm always somewhere else. __And you're always there alone."_ Finn sang.

_"Just a few more hours and I'll be right home to you. I think I hear them callin'. Oh Beth, what can I do? Beth, what can I do?"_ the other guys joined in.

_"Beth, I know you're lonely. And I hope you'll be all right. 'Cause me and the boys. Will be playin' all night, all night."_ Puck sang. Next it was Quinn's turn. Puck grabbed his guitar. She began to sing.

_"Papa I know you're going to be upset cause I was always your little girl. But you should know by now I'm not a baby. You always taught me right from wrong. I need your help, daddy please be strong. I may be young at heart but I know what I'm saying. The one you warned me all about. The one you said I could do without. We're in an awful mess, and I don't mean maybe – please papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep. Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep. But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm..."_ she sang. Next it was time for River Deep, Mountain High. Mercedes and Santana got ready.

_"When I was a little girl I had a rag doll. The only doll I've ever owned." _Mercedes sang.

_"Now I love you just the way I loved that rag doll. But only now my love has grown." _Santana sang.

_"And it gets stronger in every way. And it gets deeper let me say. And it gets higher day by day. Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby." _they sang together.

_"When you were a young boy did you have a puppy that always followed you around?"_ Santana sang.

_"Well I'm gonna be as faithful as that puppy." _Mercedes sang.

_"No I'll never let you down." _Santana joined_._

_"Cause it goes stronger like a river flows and it gets bigger baby and heaven knows and it gets sweeter baby as it grows. Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby."_ they sang together.

_"I love you baby like a flower loves the spring." _Mercedes sang.

_"And I love you baby like a robin loves to sing." _Santana sang.

_"And I love you baby like a schoolboy loves his pet." _Mercedes sang.

_"And I love you baby river deep mountain high. Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby.""_ they sang together. As Santana sang the song, Rachel thought back to the duets competition.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby."_

_Santana was watching Rachel the entire time she sang the song._

_"I love you baby like a flower loves the spring." Mercedes sang._

_"And I love you baby like a robin loves to sing." Santana sang._

_She raised her eyebrow and smirked in Rachel's direction. Rachel bit her lip to hide her smile. Santana winked._

_"And I love you baby like a schoolboy loves his pet." Mercedes sang._

_"And I love you baby river deep mountain high. Do I love you my oh my. River deep, mountain high yeah yeah yeah. If I lost you would I cry. Oh how I love you baby, baby, baby, baby."" they sang together. __After Glee that day, Rachel found Santana._

_"Just so you know, Santana, I thoroughly enjoyed your duet with Mercedes." Rachel said._

_"Did you now?" Santana said. __Rachel nodded. Santana leaned down to whisper in her ear. __"I was singing to you, baby girl." __She started to smile, but saw someone turn into the hallway. __"Berry, will you please stop offering to give me singing lessons? I don't want your help, okay?" she yelled, hating the loss of contact._

_"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help, Santana. I guess I'll just leave." Rachel said._

_"Bye." Santana said, glaring at the passerby who hurried to get out of the hallway._

_"My house later? See you there?" Rachel whispered. __Santana nodded._

_"Definitely. Love you." Rachel smiled._

_"I love you too."_

_END FLASHBACK_

Rachel had to quickly snap out of her daydream to sing Get It Right.

_"What have I done? Wish I could run away from this ship going under. Just trying to help. Hurt everyone else. Now I feel the weight of the world is on my shoulders. What can you do when your good isn't good enough. And all that you touch tumbles down. Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things I just wanna fix it somehow. But how many times will it take. Oh how many times will it take for me to get it right. To get it right. Can I start again with my faith shaken? Cause I can't go back and undo this. I just have to stay and face my mistakes. But if I get stronger and wiser I'll get through this. What can you do when your good isn't good enough and all that u touch tumbles down? Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things. I just wanna fix it somehow. But how many times will it take? Oh how many times will it take for me to get it right? So I throw up my fist. Throw a punch in the air and accept the truth that sometimes life isn't fair. Yeah I'll send out a wish. Yeah I'll send up a prayer. And finally someone will see how much I care. What can you do when your good isn't good enough? And all that you touch tumbles down. Oh my best intentions keep making a mess of things. Just wanna fix it somehow. but how many times will it take? Oh, how many times will it take to get it right, to get it right." _She sang. She received a standing ovation and the group sang_ Loser Like Me. _Rachel started singing.

"_Yeah you may think that I'm a zero. But hey, everyone you wanna be. Probably started off like me. You may say that I'm freak show."_

Santana grinned as Rachel danced past her.

"_I don't care."_ She said, grabbing Rachel's hand.

Rachel grinned.

"_But hey, give it just a little time. I bet you're gonna change your mind." _

Rachel, Brittany and Santana started dancing.

"_All of the dirt you've been throwing my way, it ain't so hard to take. That's right. Cause I know one day you'll be screaming my name. And I'll just look away. That's right." _

The group joined in.

"_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me."_

"_Push me up against the lockers. And hey, all I do is shake it off. I'll get you back when I'm your boss. I'm not thinking about you haters. Cause hey, I could be a superstar. I'll see you when you wash my car."_ Finn sang. Rachel sang again.

"_All of the dirt you've been throwing my way, it ain't so hard to take. That's right. Cause I know one day you'll be screaming my name. And I'll just look away. That's right."_

The group joined again

"_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me. Hey you over there. Keep the L up, up in the air. Hey you over there. Keep the L up cause I don't care. You can throw your sticks and you can throw your stones. Like a rocket just watch me go. Yeah. L-O-S-E-R. I can only be who I are! Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me! A loser like me. Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. So everyone can hear. Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down. Baby I don't care. Keep it up and soon enough you'll figure out. You __wanna be. You wanna be. A loser like me!"_

"_A loser like me." _Rachel sang.

"_A loser like me."_ The group sang.

"_A loser like me."_ Rachel sang.

"_A loser like me!"_ the group finished. They all received a standing ovation. After the show, Santana heard her name. She turned around to see her team. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

"San, you were awesome. How come you never told us you could sing?" Marcus asked.

"Because singing isn't necessary for my job." Santana said.

"You were amazing." Evan said. Santana smiled.

"I'll see you guys at work on Monday." Santana said, and went to meet her friends. She looked over and saw Beth with Quinn and Puck. She smiled and went to find Rachel. A month later, everything was back to normal. Santana was back at work and Rachel was back on her show. Santana and her team were working on a case. They pulled up to a building, grabbed their guns, and prepared to enter. "You ready?" she whispered to Marcus. He nodded and kicked open the door. Santana went in. Suddenly, she felt something hit her. She fell. The last thing she heard before everything went black was Marcus yelling her name. Rachel was in rehearsal when she got the call. She was on stage rehearsing one of her solo songs when she heard her phone go off.

"Sorry." she apologized. She jumped off the stage to answer. Her heart stopped when she saw the caller ID.

**Incoming Call**

**FBI**

She hesitantly picked up the phone.

"He… hello?" she said.

_"Is this Rachel Berry?"_ a voice asked.

"Yes." she said.

_"Ms. Berry, your fiancée, Santana Lopez?"_

"What about her?" Rachel asked.

"_She was shot today. She's currently in a coma."_ the person told her.

"Oh my God." Rachel said. She got the name of the hospital and hung up. She sat down in a chair and cried. Brittany immediately ran down to her.

"Rach, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Santana." was all Rachel said.

"Santana? What about her? Is she okay?" Brittany asked.

"She got shot. She's in a coma." Rachel cried.

"MIKE!" Brittany yelled.

"What's up, B?" he replied.

"Take us to the hospital now. S got shot." Brittany ordered. The three left the theater. Rachel sprinted into the hospital when they arrived. She was quickly lead to Santana's room. When she entered, she saw Santana unconscious. She sank into a chair by the bed.

"San." she whispered. For some reason, the sight brought back a certain memory.

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana had decided to take Rachel on a date. She took them to a dirt bike riding track about an hour and a half away from Lima. She showed Rachel how to ride a dirt bike and Rachel was surprisingly good. She quickly got cocky and as they were riding, Rachel took a jump to quickly and went flying off of her bike, with Santana watching. __"Rach!" she screamed. __She quickly stopped her bike, threw off her helmet, and went sprinting into the direction her girlfriend had flown. She saw Rachel lying face first in a pile of hay. Rachel slowly picked herself up and took off her helmet. Santana sprinted over to the girl. __"Rach, are you okay?" Santana asked. __She approached the girl. __Rachel nodded._

_"I'm fine, Santana." __Santana pulled the girl into a hug._

_"You scared me."_

_"How do you think I felt?" Rachel joked._

_"Like you were flying?" Santana teased._

_Rachel laughed. "Not exactly."_

_END FLASHBACK_

"Please be okay, Santana." Rachel said. She held the unconscious girl's hand. She sat in the room for four hours, before Brittany came in.

"Rachel, you need some sleep." she said.

"There's no way I'm leaving her, Brittany."

"Do you want a blanket?" a nurse asked. Rachel nodded. She drifted off to sleep, and Brittany watched Santana.

_FLASHBACK_

_Brittany and Santana were hanging out in Santana's room. __"Does Rachel make you happy?" Brittany suddenly asked. __Santana looked surprised._

_"Where did that come from?"_

_"I just want to make sure that you're happy." Brittany explained._

_"She makes me extremely happy, B. I've never been this happy before." __Santana frowned as she saw Brittany look down. __"B, what we had wasn't healthy. I love you, but as a sister. You're my best friend." Santana said. __Brittany nodded._

_"I know. I love you too, S."_

_"Does Artie make you happy?" Santana asked._

_"Yea, he does." Brittany said._

_"Good."_

_END FLASHBACK_

While Rachel was sleeping, she dreamed of Santana.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Rachel. Hey, Rachel." Santana said._

_"You're starting to bother me." Rachel said._

_"But baby! Come on. Look over here." __It was Santana's seventeenth birthday and Rachel had gotten her a video camera and Santana was enjoying messing around with it._

_"At least I know you like your present." Rachel said. __Santana nodded._

_"Hey, Rachel?" __Rachel sighed._

_"Yes, Santana?"_

_"I gotta tell you something."_

_"What?"_

_"I can't tell you unless you are over here." Santana said. __Rachel sighed and walked over to Santana, who was lying on Rachel's bed._

_"Yes?"_

_"No, you gotta get on the bed." Santana insisted. __Rachel laid on top of Santana._

_"What do you want to tell me?" __Santana pointed the camera towards the two of them._

_"I… am completely in love… with you." she said. __Rachel smiled._

_"As am I." she said._

_"You're in love with yourself?" Santana said._

_"You knew what I meant." Rachel said._

_"But you gotta specify, otherwise the camera will get confused." __Rachel rolled her eyes._

_"I… am completely in love… with you.." she said. __Santana smiled and slowly kissed Rachel. Suddenly Rachel pulled away. __"Turn that off." she said. __She gestured to the camera. __Santana did as she was told and kissed her girlfriend again._

_END FLASHBACK_

Brittany sat next to Santana's bed. "S, you gotta wake up. Rachel needs you. I need you." Brittany pleaded. She held Santana's hand. Suddenly, the Latina's eyes fluttered. "Oh my god." Brittany whispered.

"Wa… water." Santana croaked. Brittany quickly got some water and carefully put the cup to Santana's mouth and helped her drink.

"Want more?" Brittany asked. Santana shook her head.

"Rachel." she whispered.

"She's right next to you, sleeping. I'll wake her up." Brittany said.

"No." Santana said.

"Santana, I'm waking her up. Be quiet." Brittany said. She went over to Rachel. "Rachel, wake up." Brittany gently shook her.

"What, Britt?" she mumbled.

"Santana's awake." she said. Rachel's eyes flew open.

"San?" she said. Santana tried to smile. "Brittany, go get a doctor." Rachel said. The blonde obeyed.

"What happened?" Santana asked.

"You got shot while trying to rescue someone." Rachel said. Rachel cried.

"What's wrong? Am I okay? Wow that sounded really conceited." She said. Rachel laughed.

"No it didn't. You're going to be fine sweetie. I'm just so happy you're awake." The doctor came in and Rachel had to momentarily leave the room. After a few hours of observation, Santana was able to go home. Rachel drove them home and carefully helped Santana to the couch. "How are you feeling?" Rachel asked.

"Okay." Santana said.

"Listen, I have a show tonight, but if you want I can call in sick." Rachel said.

"No. Go to your play. Be the amazing Broadway star you are." Santana said. She smiled at Rachel.

"Baby, I can take care of you. That's more important." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I am an FBI agent. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Santana said. Rachel looked down when she said FBI agent. "What is it?" Santana asked.

"I'm not so sure about how I feel about you being an FBI agent anymore." Rachel said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Santana asked.

"Santana, you almost died."

"Rachel, you told me this would make you feel safer than me joining the Army." Santana said.

"Well…"

"Rachel, I've been doing this for four years. This is the first time I've gotten shot." Santana said.

"And it could happen again. Next time, it may be fatal. I just can't deal with worrying about losing you every time you work on a case." Rachel said.

"Rachel you could lose me every time I go to work. I work for the FBI. We make some people mad. There are plenty of mental cases out there that we deal with. It comes with the territory." Santana said.

"Well, I can't be thinking about that all day."

"Rachel, you want me to quit my job so you can feel better. What about me?"

"You quit Cheerios for me." Rachel said.

"Quitting a high school cheerleading squad is a lot different that quitting my job and part of our income." Santana said.

"You could easily find another job."

"But I don't want another job. Rachel, I love what I do."

"Santana, you are not listening to me!"

"Oh yes I am. You're trying to tell me what to do. Rachel, I am twenty-seven years old. I am a grown woman. You can't tell me what to do like I'm a child!" Santana exclaimed.

"I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm asking you-"

"You're asking me to quit my job. I just… I'm sorry Rach, but I can't do that." Santana said.

"Can't or won't?" Rachel countered.

"Both." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"Then I'm leaving." Rachel said. She left the apartment to go to her show. Santana yelled in frustration. Soon, she drifted off to sleep. After her show, Rachel went back to her apartment. She quietly opened the front door and found the lights still on. She looked at the couch and saw Santana sleeping. She slightly smiled at the peaceful figure of her fiancée. She turned off the hallway light and walked over to the couch. Kneeling down, she gently brushed some hair out of Santana's face. Or tried too. Before she could, a gun was pointing at her. Both girls screamed. "Oh my God, San!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel? What's wrong with you? Are you trying to get shot?" Santana said.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? What are you doing with a gun underneath your pillow?" Rachel asked.

"You weren't home and I'm in no shape to put up a fight." Santana explained. She put the gun down. Rachel slightly nodded, catching her breath. "What were you doing anyway?" Santana asked.

"I was watching you sleep and was about to get your hair out of your eyes, you psycho." Rachel said.

"Oh." Santana said. She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Mmhmm." Rachel said.

"When did you get home?" Santana asked.

"About two, maybe three, minutes ago." Rachel replied. They sat in an uncomfortable silence.

"San…"

"Rachel, I love you. But I can't quit my job." Santana said.

"I know. Baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to do that. I was just scared." Rachel said.

"Baby, I know. Come here." Santana said, pulling Rachel into her lap. "Sweetie, I'm always going to come home to you." Santana said.

"I just get so scared. You can't possibly imagine what was going through my mind when they called." Rachel said.

"Baby, I get it. Really, I do. How do you think I was when I found out you were missing? I was terrified." Santana said.

"I overreacted. You should be able to do what you love." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What?" Rachel said, confused.

"You said I should be able to do what I love." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"San, shut up." Santana laughed.

"Sorry baby girl. Continue."

"You should be able to have the job that you love." Rachel corrected herself.

"I want to make you feel safe." Santana said.

"I'd rather worry about you and have you, then to not have you at all." Rachel said. Santana smiled at that.

"I love you, Rachel Berry." Santana said.

"I love you too, Santana Lopez." Rachel leaned down and kissed Santana.

"You do know that you're changing your name, right?" Santana asked.

"Why?"

"Agent Berry? Does that sound intimidating to you?" Santana asked. Rachel laughed.

"Good point. But I'm an actress." Rachel said.

"You can still be known as Rachel Berry professionally. Just not legally." Santana said. Rachel contemplated this. "I can see your Wikipedia page now. _'Rachel Barbra Berry Lopez, known professionally as Rachel Berry, was born in Lima, Ohio and grew up to marry the hottest girl on the planet.'_ That would be me, by the way." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"You are a dork. But yes, I will take your last name." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel.

"Rachel!" Santana called out the next day.

"What?"

"Rachel, come quick. I need you! Its an emergency! " She was lying on the couch. Rachel came running into the room.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurting?" Rachel rambled. She had not rambled since high school.

"The remote is too far away. I can't reach it." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana in disbelief.

"Seriously?" she said.

"What?" Santana asked.

"You yelled out, 'Rachel come quick. Its an emergency,' Santana."

"Yea and? What's your point?"

"Apparently you and I have two very different definitions of the word emergency." Rachel said. Santana just stared at her.

"So… are you going to give me the remote or not?" she asked.

"Santana Lopez!"

"Raaaaaaaach. I just got shot." Santana whined. Rachel narrowed her eyes. Santana smiled at her, doing her best to look weak.

"Clearly you are a better singer than you are an actress. That weakling look was pathetic." Rachel said. She picked up the remote and handed it to Santana. "Anything else?" Santana smiled and shook her head. Rachel left the room. About five minutes later, her phone buzzed.

**New Message**

**Santana **

"Seriously?" she muttered. She read the message.

**Raaaaaaaaach. I need you again. **

Out in the living room, Santana waited for a reply. It was not long before she got one.

**New Message**

**Rachel **

**Santana, you are quite capable of going into the kitchen and getting food.**

Santana rolled her eyes. Her phone quickly buzzed again.

**New Message**

**Rachel**

**Don't roll your eyes at me!**

That never ceased to amaze Santana. She quickly typed out a message.

**New Message**

**Santana **

**Rachel, I don't want food. Well, I do, but that's not what I meant.**

Soon, Santana's phone buzzed again.

**New Message:**

**Rachel **

**Tell me what you want before I come out there.**

Santana frowned at the message and replied.

Rachel slightly smiled as her phone buzzed.

**New Message**

**Santana **

**Please? It really is an emergency.**

Rachel sighed and walked into the living room. She didn't stop until she was in front of the couch and Santana. "What do you need that is so important?" she asked. Santana grinned.

"You." she said. She pulled Rachel on top of her and kissed her.

"San." Rachel said. Santana ignored her and continued kissing her. "Santana." Rachel pulled away. Santana sighed.

"What is it Rachel?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"San, I don't want to hurt you." Rachel said. Her eyes flickered to the location of Santana's bullet wound.

"Rach, you aren't going to hurt me." Rachel smirked.

"But Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. You just got shot." she whined. Santana snorted and looked away.

"At least, that's what you said when you couldn't reach the remote." Rachel continued.

"Yea, yea, okay. But seriously, you aren't going to hurt me." Santana said.

"Sweetie, I'm just trying to be careful." Rachel protested.

"You don't have to be." Santana said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm Santana Lopez. I don't feel pain." Santana said.

"So if I were to say do this…" Rachel poked gently Santana's wound. The taller girl bit back a scream of pain. She put on a strained smile.

"I didn't feel a thing." she lied.

"Liar. Santana, you're human. You feel pain." Rachel said. Santana ignored her.

"Do you wanna watch old home movies with me?"

"Are they of our performances?" Rachel asked.

"No, just stuff I shot on that video camera you got me for my seventeenth birthday." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"Sure." Carefully, she laid down into Santana's embrace and watched the first video, which appeared to be taken while the camera was set up on a tripod.

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana and Rachel were hanging out in Santana's room. Santana was on her phone and Rachel was singing some Broadway song that Santana had never heard of. __"You drive me crazy, you know?" Santana suddenly said. __Rachel stopped singing._

_"Is that a good thing?" she asked._

_"Not right now. You are literally driving me insane." Santana said. __Rachel turned to face her._

_"Why's that?" she asked. _

_"Rachel, you've been singing the same song for an hour and a half. Pick a different one." Santana said._

_"A different song? Okay… how about…" Rachel trailed off, thinking. Her smile widened. She started singing again. __"Baby, baby, baby, oh. Like, baby, baby, baby, no!" __Santana cut her off._

_"Another song please." _

_"I thought you liked Justin Bieber."_

_"I hate that song." Santana explained._

_"Fine." Rachel said. __She picked a different Broadway song. Santana hadn't heard of it, but she automatically liked it because it was a different song. Suddenly, Rachel stopped singing. __"Sweetie?" she asked. __Santana did not look up from her phone._

_"Yea?" she replied._

_"Do you think I can make it to Broadway?" Rachel asked. __Santana looked up from her phone at that._

_"Baby girl, where's that coming from?" Santana asked. __She'd never known Rachel to doubt her abilities and talent._

_"In Glee, when you went to the bathroom Mr. Schue said something." Rachel said. __She didn't want to go into details, knowing it would upset Santana. __Santana's face clouded with anger._

_"What did he say?" Santana asked._

_"I was suggesting songs for a duet between Finn and I for Sectionals and he got mad and told me that not everything was about me and that I'm not the only good singer in the club and that if I just stop and listen, I might realize that while I'm talented, I might not be as talented as I think I am." Rachel said. __Santana was furious. Rachel saw this and put a hand on Santana's shoulder. __"Sweetie, calm down. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Rachel said. __She looked away. Santana gently turned her face toward her._

_"Baby girl look at me. Rachel Berry, you're as talented as you think you are and you're destined for Broadway. Don't let Will Schuester tell you otherwise. The man couldn't keep his marriage together and then the girl he left his crazy wife for left him for the hottest dentist alive. What does he really know?" Santana said. __Rachel quietly laughed and looked into Santana's eyes._

_"You really mean that?"_

_"Of course mi estrella. You were born to be a star." Santana said._

_"Your star." Rachel said._

_"Always remember that you are my star." Santana recited._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana looked over at Rachel, smiling. "San?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"Who's your star?" Rachel asked.

"Hmmm….. you know, I'd probably have to say…. Chad Michael Murray." Santana said. Rachel hit her. "Ow! Relax, woman. You know that I'm just kidding. You're my star." Santana said.

"That's what I thought you said." Rachel said. Santana looked confused as she saw the date on the next video.

"I didn't have the camera at that time." Rachel looked at it.

"This was taken on my video camera." she said.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel was making one of her daily MySpace videos of her singing when Santana barged into the room. __"Rachel! Rachel! Rachel!" she said. __Rachel smiled. She instantly forgot about the camera and her song._

_"Someone's happy." she commented._

_"Yea, I am." Santana said. __She pulled Rachel into her arms and kissed her. Rachel returned the kiss and pulled away smiling._

_"What's gotten into you?" Rachel asked._

_"What do you mean?" Santana replied._

_"You're bouncing off the walls like a five year old. I've never seen you exert this much energy at one time. In fact, you weren't this happy an hour ago, at school." Rachel explained._

_"You do know what today is, right?" Santana asked._

_Rachel nodded. "Yea, its the day of the homecoming game."_

_"Which you're going to, right?" Santana asked. __Rachel nodded._

_"And I'm a what?" Santana prodded._

_"An… extremely hot girl?" Rachel guessed_

_"No, well yea, but we already knew that. No, I'm a…. starts with a 'C'…" Santana said._

_"Cheerio?"_

_"Yes. And cheerleaders have to do what?"_

_"Cheer?" Rachel asked._

_"Yes. But what do they have to do while they cheer?" Santana asked._

_"I have no clue." Rachel said._

_"Would you like me to draw you a road map?" Santana said._

_"It would help." Rachel replied. __Santana rolled her eyes._

_"They have to smile, Rachel." she said before Rachel could get mad at her for rolling her eyes._

_"Ok… so the entire school will see you smile for once." Rachel teased. __Santana raised an eyebrow._

_"And… I get to spend almost an entire night smiling at my insanely hot girlfriend." she said._

_"That's something to be excited about, huh?" Rachel said._

_"Uh-huh." Santana said. __She smiled and leaned in to kiss Rachel again. __"So… what were you doing before I walked in?" Santana asked._

_"I was making my MySpace video. The Cheerios need some form of entertainment before they have to go to the game. I figured they'dwant a new video to insult." Rachel said. __Santana winced. __"Hey, San. Its okay. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Rachel said._

_"You know I don't comment on those videos anymore right? I don't even hang around them when they do. And you know I'd totally tell them to stop if it wouldn't give us away." Santana said._

_"Baby, I know that. Really, its fine." Rachel said._

_"I'm so sorry that you still have to go through that." Santana said._

_"Santana, I'm fine." Rachel said. __She leaned up and kissed Santana._

_END FLASHBACK_

"I almost forgot about that." Rachel said. Santana smiled down at her and started the next video.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Someone really needs to put Berry in her place." Rachel said as soon as she walked into Santana's room. __Santana looked up. _

_"What's going on in your mind right now, Rachel?" Santana asked._

_"That's what I overheard Quinn say in the restroom today." Rachel explained. __She dropped down on to Santana's bed and watched her girlfriend's face go from excited to see her to anger._

_"I'll kill her." Santana said._

_"You'll blow our cover, Santana." Rachel replied._

_"Do I look like I care? I'm tired of having to hear her insult you. Plus, she always gets mad when I don't join in." Santana said._

_"Why do I always manage to say the wrong thing?" Rachel wondered aloud._

_"Its not you who says the wrong thing, its them. You just repeat it." Santana said. __Rachel looked at her. __"Honestly, its better if I hear it from you, because you know how I get. I'm unable to hide my anger." Santana said. __Rachel smiled._

_"I do love that you want to defend and protect me." she said._

_"Why wouldn't I want to?" Santana asked._

_"Because technically you're supposed to hate me." Rachel said._

_"Except you know that that's nowhere near true." Santana said._

_"Not anymore." Rachel replied._

_"Rachel, I never hated you. I just didn't like you at times and I thought you were annoying. But I never hated you." Santana said._

_"Santana." Rachel said in a disbelieving tone._

_"Rachel. I never hated you." Santana repeated. __Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"Okay…"_

_"And even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because I don't hate you now. I love you." Santana said._

_"I know you do." Rachel said. __Santana looked at her expectantly. __"What?" Rachel asked._

_"Is there something you want to say to me?" Santana asked. __Rachel thought._

_"Your hair looks cute right now." Rachel said. __Santana glared at her, causing Rachel to laugh. __"I love you too, Santana." Rachel said. __Santana looked over at her camera. _

_"We better hope no one steals my camera."_

_"Why?" Rachel asked. __She looked over and saw the camera._

_"Because there are about thirty videos of you and I making out or saying I love you on it. I think that might blow our cover." Santana explained. __Rachel nodded._

_"Just a little bit, huh?" Rachel said. __She and Santana looked at each other, before laughing._

_"Come here, baby girl." Santana said. __She pulled Rachel into a hug and kissed her._

_"I love you." Rachel sighed._

_"I love you too, Rachel."_

_END FLASHBACK_

"This was kind of fun." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "San, we do need to talk about wedding stuff, by the way. We are getting married in a month." Rachel said. They had wanted to get married on the anniversary of the day they started dating.

"Of course." Santana said. One month later, it was the night before the wedding. Santana had never been so nervous before in her life. She was pretty sure Rachel felt the same way, but she hadn't talked to Rachel in a week, per Rachel's request.

_FLASHBACK_

"_San, I'm going to stay at Brittany and Artie's apartment for the week." Rachel said._

"_What? Why?" Santana asked._

"_Because we can't see each other before the wedding." Rachel said._

"_Rach, that's the night before, not the week before." Santana said._

"_Whatever, same thing." Rachel said._

"_Okay, well will you at least call me every night so that I can talk to you?" Santana requested._

"_No. Talking to you will make actually staying at the apartment impossible." Rachel said._

"_But Rachel, usually when you're gone I go to Brittany's apartment to hang out. Why do you have to go there? Why can't you go to Mike and Tina's apartment?" Santana whined._

"_Because I know you and I know that you'll want to know how I'm doing, so I chose someone who won't get irritated with your hundreds of text messages a day." Rachel said. __Santana smiled._

"_Good point."_

_END FLASHBACK_

So Santana had gone the entire week with having to hear about Rachel from her best friend. She was thankful that she got to see Rachel for a bit at the rehearsal dinner. She started to get ready. Suddenly her phone rang. She picked it up from the table.

**Incoming Call:**

**Rachel **

Santana smiled.

"Hey baby girl!" she answered.

_"The reservations for the restaurant are still good, right?"_ Rachel asked. Santana frowned at her phone.

"Uh, hi?" Rachel sighed.

_"San."_

"Rach, we haven't seen each other or even _talked_ to each other in a week and you don't even say 'hi' when you call me?" she asked. Rachel slightly laughed.

_"Sorry, sweetie. Hi. How are you?"_

"Thank you. I'm great now that you called." Santana replied.

_"That's good. So… the reservations?"_ Rachel asked. Santana rolled her eyes. _"Santana, don't roll your eyes at me."_ Rachel recited. Santana smiled.

"The reservations are set, Rachel." she said.

_"Good."_ Rachel said.

"So what's up?" Santana asked.

_"I miss you."_ Rachel said.

"You'll see me tonight." Santana said.

_"Yeah, but I haven't seen or talked to you all week."_ Rachel replied.

"And whose idea was that again?" Santana asked.

_"Shut up." _The two laughed.

"Can you believe that you and I are getting married tomorrow?" Santana asked.

_"No. After all this time, it just seems… surreal. And I don't think that high school Rachel and Santana would believe it either."_ Rachel replied.

"At least not the Rachel and Santana from freshman and sophomore years." Santana replied.

_"Yea… hey I better get ready."_ Rachel said.

"Me too… I'll see you tonight. I love you." Santana said.

_"Love you too."_ Rachel said. She hung up the phone and went to the restaurant. The rehearsal dinner went by without a hitch. Santana hardly left Rachel's side. Rachel smiled over at Santana. "Hi." she whispered.

"Hi." Santana replied

"How was your week?"

"Agonizing." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Because I couldn't see or talk to you." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"Santana Lopez, I have turned you soft." she said. Santana laughed.

"Surprisingly, I'm okay with that." she replied. Rachel smiled.

"Me too." she said. Santana looked at her fondly. Rachel got self-conscious. "What?" she asked. She eyed her outfit. Santana quickly shook her head.

"Nothing, its just… you look so beautiful tonight. I mean, you look beautiful all the time. God, I love you Rachel." Santana said. Rachel smiled again.

"I love you too, Santana." she replied.

"Who _doesn't_?" Santana asked.

"There are plenty of people, sweetie, but we won't get into that tonight." Rachel said. Santana mock gasped.

"Rachel Berry, that's extremely hurtful." she said.

"Santana, please. Don't give me that." Rachel shot back. Santana grinned evilly and started tickling Rachel, knowing that Rachel was extremely ticklish.

"Santana. Santana stop." Rachel said in between laughs.

"Take it back." Santana said.

"Ok. Okay I'm sorry. I take it back." Rachel said while still laughing. As everyone was leaving, the two pulled Finn aside.

"What's up, guys?" he asked.

"We were hoping you'd do something for us." Santana said. She let Rachel do the majority of the explaining, since Rachel and Finn were closer.

"Finn, Santana and I do want to have children." she began.

"Okay…" he said.

"We were wondering if you would be the donor." Rachel finished. Finn smiled.

"Of course I will." he said. The two girls smiled back at him.

"Thanks, Finn." Santana said. Everyone left the restaurant. The next day was the wedding. Santana was both nervous and excited. She grinned as she and Rachel said their vows. The rest of New Directions surprised them at the reception with singing for them. Then it was time for the toasts. Santana went first.

"Rachel and I just want to thank everyone for coming to our wedding. We love all of you guys so much and it means a lot that you guys came all the way to New York for us." she began. Everyone cheered. "Rachel and I have been together for a little over ten years now. And after we told all our friends about us, everyone was very supportive of us, after they got past the shock of 'Rachel and Santana don't hate each other anymore.' And even though we've had our share of drama, I still love Rachel as much as I did ten years ago." Santana continued. Rachel smiled at her wife. Santana turned to face Rachel. "Sweetie, you're my world and I'll do anything to make you happy or to make you feel safe." Santana said. Rachel smiled again. Santana knew that she had to put some humor into her speech so she did not sound _completely _soft. "Well, anything _except_ quit my job or crash my very expensive car." Santana smiled. Everyone, who had heard about Rachel wanting Santana to quit, cracked up. Even if they did not know about that, everyone knew how much Santana loved her car. It was the first thing she had bought completely on her own. Santana looked back at Rachel, who was laughing.

_I love you_. Rachel mouthed to Santana.

_I love you too._ Santana mouthed to Rachel. They were finally married. They were finally Mrs. and Mrs. Lopez. Two months later, the still newlyweds were waiting to get Rachel pregnant. They had decided that it would be easier for Rachel to take off work closer to the end of the pregnancy than Santana and Santana's job was far too dangerous for her to be at work and also be pregnant. The pregnancy would be tough enough as it was. To make Santana feel as if she deserved to be in the child's life, she had donated the egg. Finn had decided to move to New York so he could be around to help Rachel when Santana was at work and so that he could be around when the child was growing up. Rachel had immediately accepted his request, knowing what it was like to have one of your parents out of your life until it was too late.

"How are you feeling?" Santana asked Rachel two weeks later, after the pregnancy was confirmed.

"Excited. I really want us to be good parents, Santana." Rachel said.

"You're going to be a great mother, Rachel." Santana replied.

"So are you, San." Santana and Finn quickly learned that Rachel was one of those _extremely_ hormonal pregnant women. One minute, Rachel would be all over her, the next disgusted with her. One minute she'd be laughing, the next crying her eyes out. Santana and Finn learned to be extremely careful about what they said around Rachel. Through the course of the pregnancy, they learned that they were expecting a boy. Finn was extremely excited about this. Santana wanted to choose a name, but every time she rejected one of Rachel's ideas, Rachel cried.

"What about Hugo?" Rachel said. Santana raised _both _eyebrows.

"Hugo? Seriously Rachel?" Rachel threw up her hands in frustration and cried.

"Well, you've shot down every single name I have given you!" she yelled. '_Two more months of this. Two excruciating long months.' _Santana thought. Santana rushed over to Rachel.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I… I'll consider Hugo, okay?" Rachel looked at her.

"You mean it?" Santana nodded.

"Sure." she said. Rachel looked back into the book of names she was holding. '_Absolutely not.'_ Santana thought. They had decided on a name that they could both agree on and it did _not_ include the name Hugo. One day, the two were sitting in their living room. Santana had just got home from work and they were watching television. All of a sudden, Santana felt Rachel grab her arm. "What's up, baby girl?" Santana asked, not looking away from the television screen. Rachel didn't immediately reply, but she grunted in pain. Santana looked over, worried. "Rachel, are you all right?" she asked.

"San, my water broke." Rachel said.

"What?" Santana yelled.

"I'm about to have a baby. Were you not listening?" Rachel screamed. Santana drove to the hospital, calling Finn on the way there. Two hours and forty-five minutes later, Rachel was holding her son.

"Oh my god." Finn said. Santana was close to tears.

"You did great baby." she said.

"Really?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. You did so good." Santana said. Finn went out to tell Artie, Tina, Mike, and Brittany that Rachel had successfully had the baby. They all came in to see her. "Britt, Artie, will you be the godparents?" Santana asked.

"Of course, Santana. We'd love to be." Artie said.

"What are you going to name him?" Brittany asked. Santana and Rachel looked at each other. Finn waited in anticipation. Even he had been left in the dark.

"You tell them, baby." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"We had originally wanted to name him Hugo." Rachel said. Everyone else cringed.

"Correction. _Rachel _wanted to name him Hugo." Santana clarified.

"So what did you decided on?" Tina asked.

"We decided to name him Adam Wyatt." Rachel said.

"Why Adam Wyatt?" Mike asked.

"That was my dad's name." Santana said quietly. Brittany, Finn, Artie, Tina, and Mike all smiled sadly.

"I like it." Finn said.

"So, guys. We want you to meet Adam Wyatt Lopez, II." Rachel said. Finn slowly walked up to the three of them.

"Hi." he whispered. Rachel handed Adam to Finn. "I'm your daddy." Finn whispered. Rachel and Santana smiled at the interaction. They could already tell Finn was going to be a good father. He handed the baby back to Rachel. Santana reached over and gently kissed his head. Rachel leaned down and put her head on Santana's. Finn knelt down by the bed. Brittany quickly pulled out a camera.

"Okay, I can't resist. You guys look like a family. Its adorable." she said. Finn, Santana, and Rachel smiled as Brittany took a picture. Next, Brittany took a picture of just Santana and Rachel with the baby. Then she decided that she wanted pictures of just Santana with the baby, just Rachel with the baby, and just Finn with the baby. Santana made sure to tell Brittany she wanted a copy of all the pictures. She knew that they'd be going on her desk at work.

Rachel reached out and touched Santana's arm. Everyone else had left and Finn went to go get some food for them. Santana was holding Adam, watching him. At Rachel's touch, she looked up.

"San, you're going to have to put him in the crib eventually." Rachel said, quietly laughing.

Santana nodded. "I know. I just… I don't want to. I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much that you have only known for a short amount of time. Think about it. This kid has been alive for all of five hours and I already love him just as much as I love you. I'd kill anyone that came near him and gave off a bad vibe." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I know you would baby. He's your _son_. Of course you already love him. We spent nine months waiting for this day." Rachel replied.

"You two are the most important people in my life." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"You two are the most important people in my life, too." she said.

"I love you, Rachel Berry." Santana said.

"I love you too, Santana Lopez. But I'm not Rachel Berry anymore, remember? I'm Rachel Lopez." Santana smiled.

"That's right. You _are _Rachel Lopez." Santana said. Two weeks later, Rachel and Adam were back at the apartment. Finn was staying with them. Santana had decided to fly back to Lima to tell everyone. Rachel knew that she wanted to go by her parent's graves. Puck, Quinn, and Beth were waiting for her at the airport. "Q!" she yelled.

"How's Rachel?" Quinn immediately asked.

"Well hello to you too. Don't worry, Quinn. I'm perfectly fine." Santana said.

"Well, you aren't the one who just had a baby." Quinn said. Santana laughed.

"They're both fine. Finn's staying with them while I'm here." Santana said. Puck wrapped her in a hug. She turned and saw Beth.

"Hey Beth."

"Hi Agent Lopez." Beth said. Santana smiled.

"Sweetie, you can call me Santana." she said. Beth nodded.

"Ok… Santana. I mean I guess we're kind of related." she said. Santana nodded.

"So how's Puck Junior?" Puck asked. Santana looked at Quinn.

"Are you pregnant again?" she teased. Quinn didn't get the joke.

"How did you know?" she asked. Santana's eyes widened.

"You're pregnant?" Quinn nodded.

"About a month and half along." Quinn said.

"I thought he was talking about Adam." Santana said.

"I was." Puck said. Santana looked at Quinn.

"I am so sorry. Was it a secret? I didn't mean to blow it." she said.

"It wasn't a secret, S. We were going to tell you tonight." she said. Santana nodded. They went to get her suitcase and then went out to Puck's car.

"So do you want us to take you to the Berrys' house?" Puck asked.

"Actually, can you take me to the cemetery?" Santana asked quietly. Puck and Santana made eye contact and he gave her a sad smile.

"Of course." Beth gave them all a curious look, but said nothing. When they reached the cemetery, Santana got out.

"Do you want us to wait for you?" Quinn asked.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be." Santana said. She started to close the door, but paused. "Beth, do you want to come with me?" she asked. Beth looked at her.

"Me?" she asked. Santana nodded.

"If its okay with your parents." she said. Beth looked at Quinn and Puck.

"Can I go Mom?" she asked. Santana smiled at how easily Beth had accepted Quinn and Puck as her parents. They really belonged as a family. Quinn smiled at her daughter, then at Santana.

"Of course you can, sweetie." she answered. She gave Santana a semi-confused look, but knew that Santana would explain later. Santana and the younger girl walked through the cemetery. Beth had no idea where they were going, so she just followed Santana.

"So… are we visiting anyone in particular?" Beth asked. Santana laughed.

"No, Beth. I just like walking through cemeteries." she teased. Beth looked at her with wide eyes.

"Seriously?" she asked. Santana laughed again.

"No. We're here to visit someone." Beth nodded.

"Well, you never know. There's this guy at school who follows me around with a camera trying to get me date him." Beth said. Santana looked at her.

"What's his name?" she asked. That sounded exactly like a certain Jewfro she knew.

"Louis Ben-Israel." Beth said.

"Ben-Israel? Is his father's name Jacob?" Santana asked. Beth nodded.

"Oh boy. Yeah, his dad followed Rachel around all through high school. He was extremely creepy." Santana said.

"He still is." Beth replied. Santana laughed. "Anyway, there are some pretty weird people out there." she said.

"Tell me about it. I work for the FBI, I see them all the time." Santana replied. They walked in silence for a bit.

"So who are we visiting?" Beth asked.

"My uh… my parents." Santana said. Beth looked at her with sad and knowing eyes.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Santana. You don't have to say anything if you don't want. Trust me, I get it." Beth said. Santana nodded.

"I know you do. That's why I'm going to tell you." Santana said. She took a deep breath. "It happened when I was about seventeen. I was supposed to go with my parents to some museum exhibit and dinner, but Rachel and I had had a bad day, so we decided to go to Rachel's house to relax." Santana began.

"What happened with you and Rachel?" Beth asked.

"Have you seen the slushie wars at McKinley?" Santana asked. Beth nodded. "Rachel was brutally attacked with slushies by the hockey team. I stepped into protect her and then I got slushied. Then some jerk tried to hurt us in the bathroom and your dad and Finn stepped in and helped us. It really shook Rachel and I both up, so I called my parents and told them I wasn't going to make it to dinner. That night, when I was at Rachel's house, her dads got a phone call. They called me and Rachel into the living room and told us that my parents had been shot at the new museum exhibit by some art thieves." Santana said. Beth looked up at her.

"Your parents were murdered?" she asked with a knowing tone that Santana thought no eleven year old should have to have. Santana nodded.

"I think that's one of the reasons you and I connected so easily at the FBI station, aside from the fact that I knew your mom and dad. I knew what you were going through." Santana said. Beth nodded. "That's why I asked you to come here with me." Santana continued.

"Where did you go?" Beth asked.

"I lived with Rachel and her dads in their house until Rachel and I graduated high school and moved to New York." Santana said. She came to a stop at two headstones.

**Adam Wyatt Lopez**

**March 8, 1963 - March 22, 2011**

**Maria Isabella Lopez**

**June 12, 1963 - March 22, 2011**

"Here we are." she said. Beth looked up at her.

"Hi Mom. Hey Daddy. You remember how Quinn got pregnant during sophomore year? This is her and Puck's daughter Beth. She's a really good kid and you guys would really like her." Santana said. Beth smiled and stepped away to give Santana some privacy. Santana crouched down. "Rachel and I finally got married about a year ago. She just gave birth to our son." she said. She looked at her father's headstone. "We uh… we decided to name him Adam Wyatt Lopez II. We named him after you Daddy. I just hope he can be half as amazing as you were." Santana said. She could feel herself beginning to tear up. "I really miss you guys. Rachel does too. I really do hope that you guys are proud of me. I'm doing my best to make you proud and get rid of the jerks like the guy who took you away from me. I really wish Adam could meet you guys. When he's old enough, I'm going to bring him here so you can meet him. I'll bring Rachel too, so she can say hi. I love you guys." Santana smiled, wiped her eyes, and stood up. She realized she was alone and immediately started looking around for Beth. "Beth." she called out.

"I'm right here, Santana. I wanted to give you privacy." Beth said. Santana smiled.

"Thank you, Beth." She turned back to her parent's headstones. "I love you guys. I'll come back before I go back to New York." she promised. Four days later, Santana was back in New York. Artie and Brittany had met her at the airport and taken her back to her apartment. Her flight had landed early and Rachel didn't know she was already back in town. She quietly opened her front door in case Adam was sleeping. She saw Rachel sitting on the couch holding a sleeping Adam. She smiled and walked into the living room. "Hey baby girl." she whispered. Rachel looked up.

"San!" she excitedly whispered. Santana smiled at Rachel and waved.

"I'd get up and hug you but…" Rachel trailed off, gesturing toward Adam.

"I guess if I'm having to wait for _Adam_, then its okay." Santana said. Rachel smiled as she walked into the bedroom to put the baby in the nursery. Santana sat down on the couch and waited for her wife to come back in the room. She smiled as Rachel jumped on the couch and her. Santana quickly kissed Rachel.

"How was Lima?" Rachel asked.

"It was fine. Puck, Quinn, and Beth, say hi." Santana said.

"How was the cemetery?" Rachel asked. Santana looked down.

"Fine. I took Beth with me." Rachel looked at her.

"Why Beth?" she asked curiously.

"Because Beth can relate to it." Santana explained

"I'm sure that meant a lot to her." Rachel said. Santana nodded. She hugged the other girl.

"It sure meant a lot to me." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Rachel asked.

"Yea, yea of course." Santana said.

"Baby, are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, I told you that I'm fine." Santana practically yelled.

"Santana calm down." Rachel said.

"Rachel, do _not_ tell me to _calm down_!" Santana yelled. They heard Adam start crying from the other room. "Crap." Santana said. Rachel glared at Santana.

"Look what you did." she said before going into the nursery.

"Adam, sweetie, its okay. Stop crying honey." Santana sighed and walked into the nursery. Rachel had her back to the door, trying to calm the crying infant down. She walked up to the other girl and slowly wrapped her arm around her waist. "Go away, Santana." Rachel said.

"No." Santana replied.

"I'm mad at you." Rachel said.

"I know."

"Then why are you holding me?" Rachel asked.

"Because you're my wife." Santana said.

"Is that it?" Rachel asked.

"No. I also love you, which is why I'm here making sure you don't get too mad at me." Santana said.

"Santana, can you talk a little quieter please? I'm trying to get our son back to sleep after _you_ woke him up with your yelling." Rachel whispered.

"I really am sorry, Rachel. Please don't be mad at me." Santana said. Rachel carefully put Adam in the crib and sighed. Santana hugged her closer and Rachel turned around.

"San, you know its really hard for me to be mad at you, right?" Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel.

"Why? Because I'm insanely hot?" Santana asked.

"Because I love you, Ms. Modesty." Rachel said. She pulled Santana into a hug.

"Hey, at least the kid is back to sleep." Santana said.

"Hey. That kid has a name." Rachel said, smiling. Santana was woken the next morning up by crying. She looked over and saw Rachel curled up next to her, holding Santana's arms around her body. Santana smiled and snuggled back into her wife. The crying continued. "Saaaaaaaaan." Rachel whined.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Santana replied. More crying.

"Adam wants you. Can't you hear him? He's saying 'Santanaaaaaaaaaaaaa!' Hear it?" Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"Fine." she growled. She got out of bed and went into the nursery. "Hey buddy." Santana said. She smiled at the baby. She picked up Adam and started rocking him. "Hey baby. You're okay. Mommy has you. I'm here." Santana said. Rachel stood in the doorway and leaned against the doorframe. She smiled as she watched she watched her wife shed her HBIC persona for a soft side that not many people were lucky enough to see.

"Aww…" Rachel said, instantly covering her mouth. Santana turned around. She smiled when she saw her wife watching them.

"Hey." she whispered.

"You really are good with him, you know?" Rachel asked.

"Yea, I know. I told you we'd be amazing parents." Santana said.

"So you'd want to do this again? You know, after Adam's older?" Rachel said.

"You mean like have more kids?" Santana asked.

"That's exactly what I mean. I've always wanted at least two kids." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Me too." Santana said.

"I'm sure Finn would donate again if we asked him." Rachel said.

"Its a plan." Santana said. Rachel went and got a warm bottle for Adam.

"We're the perfect family." Rachel said.

"Yea we are." Santana said.

"I love you, Santana." Rachel said.

"I love you too Rachel." Santana replied.

"I love you." they said to Adam.


	5. The Pezberry Secret: The Sequel

**_The Pezberry Secret: The Sequel_**

Six years later, Santana and Rachel still lived in New York. Santana's grandmother died and Santana inherited a huge sum of money. They also found out that Shelby had left Rachel a large inheritance, as well as from both of her fathers' parents. The Lopez family lived in a huge penthouse apartment. Finn lived on the same street as them in a cheaper apartment, but had a key to their apartment, and Brittany and Artie's family lived in the same building. Two years after Adam was born, Rachel and Santana decided to have another child. It was the same process as last time, only this time, Rachel gave birth to a baby girl that they named Blair Ariana Lopez. A few years later, they decided that they wanted one more child, but Rachel ended up getting pregnant with fraternal twins. She was due any day and Santana would be thankful after she gave birth. Santana came home from work to find Rachel sitting on the couch reading with Adam playing on the floor. She assumed Blair was taking a nap.

"Hey." Santana said.

"Mommy!" Adam yelled. He ran to Santana and jumped into her arms.

"Hey buddy. Have you been taking care of your mama?" she asked. Over the years, Santana had become _'Mommy'_ or _'Mom.'_ and Rachel had become _'Mama.'_

"Yea. I drew her a picture." he said. Santana smiled at her son.

"That's awesome, sweetie." She set the boy down and walked into the living room.

"Hey baby." Rachel said. Santana walked over and kissed her forehead.

"Hey _mi estrella_. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Okay." Rachel replied. Adam walked up to the two.

"Mama?" he asked.

"Yes sweetie?" Rachel replied.

"When are you gonna stop being so fat?" he asked innocently. Santana's eyes widened and she covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. Rachel's eyes flamed with hormonal rage and Santana quickly moved the boy out of Rachel's reach.

"You little brat!" Rachel yelled. She attempted to lunge forward.

"Rachel, he's six." Santana said. Adam started crying in fear. Santana picked up her crying son.

"Let's go upstairs for a little bit, okay buddy?" Santana suggested. Adam nodded and Santana walked upstairs to Adam's room. He was still crying.

"Buddy, what's wrong?" Santana asked softly.

"Mama hates me." he sobbed.

"Sweetie, your mama doesn't hate you." Santana said.

"Yes she does." he insisted.

"Did she scare you when she yelled at you?" Santana asked. Adam nodded. "Sweetie, you know how your mama has the new babies inside of her?" she asked. Again, he nodded. "Well, sometimes, the new babies make her really moody. She has different emotions and they come at different times. Different things set her off to different moods." Santana explained. The boy just looked at her. "And her's a hint for when you're older, pregnant women don't like to be called fat." Santana said. She smiled at her son. "You want to go downstairs and see her?" Santana asked. Adam shook her head. "Are you scared of her?" she asked him.

"I don't want to go downstairs in case she's still mad and tries to hurt me." Adam said. Santana's eyes widened.

"Where did that come from?" she asked. She, Finn, and Rachel had never raised a hand to their children, even as a threat.

"This kid Nicky Wesley, he always comes to school with bruises that he got at home." Adam said.

"Did he say how he got them?" Santana asked. She could feel the FBI agent in her coming out.

"He said sometimes he messes up and his daddy gets real mad."

"Have you told your teacher?" Adam shook his head.

"We aren't supposed to tell."

"How long have you known about this?" Santana asked.

"I don't know, Mommy. About a month." Adam said.

"Adam, you should have told me sooner." Santana said.

"I wasn' supposed to tell you." Adam said.

"Sweetie, what's happening to Nicky is _not_ okay. And you know that Mama, your dad, and I would _never_ do that to you or your sister, right?" Santana said. Adam nodded.

"Yes Mommy." Adam said.

"Okay. How about you stay up here for a bit and I'll go talk to your mama, okay?" Santana suggested. He nodded.

"Okay." Santana started to leave the room, but turned around.

"Adam, I'm really proud of you for telling me. I just wish you had told me sooner." She smiled at her son and went downstairs after checking on Blair, who was in fact asleep. She saw Rachel on the couch and could see that she was still angry. "Ray? Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"No. You told me last night that I'm not fat. Then that little brat-" Rachel was cut off by Santana.

"That little brat is your son and he's terrified of you right now." Santana said. Rachel softened a bit.

"Why would he be terrified of me?" she asked.

"Gee, I don't know Rachel. He is six years old and just had his first experience with a hormonal pregnant woman. His mother just tried to hit him." Santana said.

"I would never hit my children, Santana." Rachel said.

"I know that. You know that. But Adam doesn't know that." Santana said.

"Why not? I have never hit him. None of us have." Rachel said.

"There's a kid in his class who's getting abused by his father. Adam has known about it for a month and he _just_ now told me about it." Santana explained. Rachel closed her eyes.

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"I'm going to look into it. Which reminds me, I have a call to make. When I get back, we're going upstairs and you're going to talk to him." Santana said. Rachel nodded and Santana went into the kitchen. "Marcus I need you to do a background check on a guy with the last name Wesley. I don't know his first name, but he has a kid named Nicky that goes to Adam's school." Santana said.

_"Okay. What's the name of Adam's school again?"_ he asked.

"P.S. 3201 Elementary." Santana said.

_"Ok. What am I looking for exactly?"_ Marcus asked.

"Anything that has to do with violence." Santana said.

_"Okay. I'll call you when I'm done."_ he promised. Santana hung up the phone and went back into the living room. She saw that Finn had come into the apartment while she was on the phone.

"Up. Let's go. Come on." she said to Rachel. The three went upstairs and found Adam sitting on his bed. "Buddy, are you okay?" Santana asked. Adam turned around and froze when he saw Rachel. Santana walked in ahead of the other two. "Adam, listen to me. Mama isn't going to hurt you, okay?"

"How do you know?" he asked.

"Would I let anything happen to you?" Santana asked. Adam shook his head. Santana motioned for Rachel to come into the room. Finn soon followed.

"Baby, I'm sorry for what happened. It shouldn't have happened. You know that I would never hurt you." Rachel said. The boy hesitated, but soon went over to Rachel, who sat down on the bed. "Sweetie, what's happening to Nicky isn't okay and it shouldn't be happening. Not all parents do that and we would never do that to you or Blair." Rachel continued. Adam nodded again.

"Is Nicky going to be in trouble?" Adam asked.

"Nicky won't be in trouble. I can't say the same for his father, though." Santana said.

"You did the right thing by telling Mommy about this, buddy." Finn said. "I'm going to make sure that Nicky is safe. But I wish you had told me this when you found out so that I could have prevented him from getting hurt sooner." Santana said.

"I'm sorry." Adam said.

"It's all right, baby. But next time you hear something that you don't think is okay, I want you to come straight to me and tell me, okay?" Santana asked.

"I promise, Mommy."

"That's my boy." Santana pulled him into a hug. When she let go of him, he ran to Finn and hugged him. Rachel watched patiently to see what would happen. The boy hesitated before quickly running to give Rachel a hug.

"I love you Mama." he said.

"I love you too baby." Rachel said. Santana's phone rang.

"Its Marcus." she said. She left the room.

"Lopez." she answered.

_"San, I have the results of that background check. His name is Ross Wesley. He has some charges of domestic violence."_ Marcus said.

"Crap."

_"Why'd you have me run a check on him?"_ he asked.

"Adam told me that his friend Nicky, Ross Wesley's son, told him that his dad hits him." Santana explained.

_"Oh wow."_ Marcus said.

"I'll look into it tomorrow when I take Adam to school." she said.

"Santana!" she heard Rachel yell.

"Hey, I have to go." she said. She hung up the phone.

"Baby are you okay?" Santana asked.

"Uh, no. The babies are coming." Rachel said.

"Okay. We'll get you to the hospital do not worry. Finn, get her stuff ready." Santana said. She pulled out her phone. "Britt! Hey Rachel went into labor. I need you to come upstairs and watch Adam and Blair, okay?" Santana said, hanging up.

"Is Brittany on her way?" Finn asked.

"Yea she should be here soon." The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Adam yelled.

"Adam stay away from that door!" Santana said. She ran after him. She picked Adam up before he could reach the door and opened it. "Hey B."

"Brittany!" Adam yelled.

"Hey little man. Where's your sister?" Brittany asked. Santana handed Brittany the boy.

"She's upstairs sleeping. We'll call you after its over." Santana promised as Finn rushed by with Rachel.

"Bye Mommy." Adam yelled.

"Bye baby. Be good." Santana closed the door and ran after Finn and Rachel. Four hours later, Santana and Rachel were holding the two newest additions to their family, a baby boy and a baby girl. "You did amazing, baby." Santana said.

"No more kids." Rachel said.

"I think four is enough." she agreed.

"I will go call Brittany." Finn said.

"What are we going to name them?" Santana asked.

"Let's each name one." Rachel said..

"I like Felix for a first name. And I've always liked the name Scott." Santana suggested.

"I love it. But what about his sister?" she asked.

"How about you choose it." Santana said.

"I've always liked the name Harmony." Rachel said.

"Then we're using it. But what about the middle name?" Santana asked.

"What about Riley?" Rachel said. Suddenly, Finn, Brittany, and Artie came in. Finn was carrying Adam and Artie was holding Blair in his lap.

"Hey guys." Santana whispered.

"Mama are those the new babies?" Blair asked.

"Yea sweetie. Those are the new babies." Rachel said. Finn put Adam down, who immediately ran to Santana. He picked up Blair and walked over.

"What are their names?" Adam asked.

"Well, this one, your brother, is named Felix Scott. Do you like it?" Rachel said. Adam and Blair nodded their heads.

"And your sister is named Harmony Riley. What about that one?" Santana asked. Both kids nodded their heads again.

"Guys, are you okay with there being two more babies around?" Finn asked Blair and Adam. Both kids eagerly nodded.

"Good, because you would have had to suck it up." Santana said. Both kids looked at her. She smiled at them.

"I love you two." she said.

"We love you Mommy." they said.

"What about me?" Rachel said.

"We love you Mama."

"I guess I'm not loved then." Finn said.

"We love you too Daddy." The next day, Santana dropped Adam off at school. When they reached the parking lot, Santana spoke. "Adam, can you show Mommy which one Nicky is?" she asked. Adam pointed at a kid who was with a mean looking man. "Adam have you ever talked to his dad?" Santana asked.

"He overheard Nicky talking about his bruises and got really mad. Nicky wasn't at school the next couple of days after that."

"What did he say when he heard Nicky telling you guys?" Santana asked.

"He said that if one of us told on him, he would get even madder and hurt us too." Adam said.

"Whoa, he _threatened _you?" Santana said. Adam nodded. "That's it." she said. She got out of the car. Adam quickly followed.

"Mommy, wait." he said. Santana turned around.

"Adam, go to your classroom." she said.

"But Mommy…"

"Now, Adam!" she said. The boy obeyed and Santana turned back around. "Hi, are you Ross Wesley?" Santana asked when she approached the man.

"Who wants to know?" he asked.

"Santana Lopez." she said. She showed her badge just enough to where Ross could see it, but Nicky could not.

"Nicky go to class." Ross said. Santana watched as Nicky went into the same classroom Adam had. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I want to know-" Santana was cut off.

"Wait, your son is Adam right?" he asked. Santana nodded. "What did that boy tell you about me?" Ross asked.

"Enough. Oh and by the way, don't _ever_ threaten my kid again." Santana said.

"Your son knows more than he should." Ross said.

"Maybe your son was trying to send you a message." Santana said. Ross walked away. Santana got in her car and drove to her office. When she got there, she found Marcus. "He definitely seems like the type to hit his kid." Santana said.

"Did you get a bad vibe?" he asked.

"I get a bad vibe from anyone who threatens my son." Santana said.

"Wait he threatened Adam?" Santana nodded. "And he walked away from you alive?" he asked.

"Haha. Very funny." Santana said. Her phone rang. "Lopez." she answered. She listened for a moment. "Wait _what_?" she yelled. Marcus looked over at her. "I'll be there soon." Santana said. She hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked.

"Adam and Blair went missing during recess." Santana said.

"Do you think that Ross Wesley is behind it?" he asked.

"Considering his kid and the other kid that Nicky told are missing too, I'm going to go with yes." Santana said. They pulled up to the school and walked into the building.

"Hi. Agent Lopez and Agent Richards." Marcus said.

"Thanks for coming down, but we got enough people, we do not need the FBI." the police officer said.

"All right, you need to listen closely. Two of those kids missing are _mine_. There is _no_ way I am going to sit back and let NYPD take over this case when my percent of actually finding missing people alive is higher than yours by a considerable amount. So I suggest you get out of the way and let me do my job." Santana said. The police officer moved out of her way. Santana shot him a fake smile. "Thank you." Before Santana could get any farther, her phone rang. "Lopez."

_"San, someone took Adam and Blair."_ Rachel said. Santana could hear she was crying.

"Baby, I know. I promise you I'm going to find them." Santana said.

_"Please, San. Please bring them back to me. Bring all of you back to me."_ Rachel said.

"I promise Ray." Santana said. She heard a beep and looked at her phone. "Babe, I have another call, I have to go. I love you." Santana said.

_"I love you too San. Be safe."_ Rachel told her wife.

"I promise." Santana said. She clicked on the new call. "Lopez." she answered.

_"Mommy?"_ she heard.

"Adam?" Marcus looked over at her.

_"Mommy, I'm scared."_ he said.

"Baby, Mommy's going to save you I promise. Where are you?" Santana asked.

_"Agent Lopez, good luck finding your precious kids."_ she heard the voice of Ross Wesley say.

"I swear if you hurt one of my kids, you _will_ regret it." Santana said.

"San, activate the GPS in your phone." Marcus whispered. Santana activated it and kept Ross on the line long enough to get a reading. Santana quickly drove to the address they got. Santana pulled out her gun and the four teammates, plus an extra FBI agent quietly entered the building.

"Lopez, Richards, Trenton, find the kids." Evan said. Santana nodded and opened the first closet she saw. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Blair and Adam.

"Thank god." she whispered. Before either child could say anything, she ran to them. "Guys, I need you to do Mommy a favor and be really quiet okay?" Santana asked. Both kids nodded. Santana pulled them into a hug. "I love you both so much." she said.

"Well, well, well, Agent Lopez." Ross Wesley said. Santana stood and turned around.

"Don't try anything. You are surrounded by the FBI. It isn't worth it." she said.

"I think it is." he said, pushing Santana.

"Kids, get in the corner and turn around." Marcus ordered. The kids obeyed. Aidan hit Ross in the back, sending him forward. Marcus, Aidan, and Santana ran to the kids and covered them.

"Mommy?" Adam whispered.

"Adam, be very still. Mommy won't let anything happen to you." Santana said.

"Kids, close your eyes and cover your ears." Marcus said. Santana pulled Adam and Blair under her to shield them. She braced herself as she heard Ross get ready to shoot them, when they heard another gunshot. They heard Evan speak.

"Ross Wesley, you are under arrest for child abuse, kidnapping, threatening a federal officer, striking a federal officer, and attempted murder." he said, placing the handcuffs on Ross' wrists. Santana sat back, breathing heavily. She quickly looked around and pulled Adam and Blair close to her.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"Yes Mommy." Adam said. Blair was crying.

"Baby its okay. I'm here now. You're safe. He won't hurt you again." Santana said, hugging her daughter close to her.

"San, let's get these kids out of here and back to the office." Marcus said. Santana nodded and stood up. She picked Blair up and grabbed Adam's hand. Santana got the kids settled with food and coloring books before retreating to her desk to call Rachel. _"Hello?"_

"Ray?" Santana said.

_"San? Did you find them?"_ Rachel asked.

"Yea baby. They're okay. They're safe." Santana said.

_"Oh my god."_ Rachel said.

"Why don't you go ahead and come to the office to pick them up. I can't leave here and go home for another four hours and they just want to go home. Normally I would just make them wait, but after what they went through today, I feel like giving them anything they want for a little bit." Santana said.

_"Yea of course. Finn is here, so I'll just have him stay with Felix and Harmony."_ Rachel said.

"Well, Finn can come pick them up. Should you be away from Felix and Harmony that long?"

_"Santana, I'll only be away from them for half an hour at most."_ Rachel said.

"Are you sure, Ray?" Santana asked.

_"Santana, I am coming to pick up my children."_ Rachel insisted.

"Cool. I'll see you soon." Santana said. She hung up her phone and started to fill out the case report.

"Mommy?" she heard a small voice say. She turned around to see Blair behind her.

"What's up Bear?" she asked. Santana had nicknames for her kids. Blair had an obsession with a stuffed bear that Finn had given her, plus when she first started speaking she had not been able to pronounce Blair, but it came out 'Bear.' Adam loved when Santana called him buddy or little man.

"Why did that man take us from the playground?" Blair asked. Santana had always figured that the kids had only inherited athletic and vocal abilities from Finn, because they were both exceptionally smart for their ages, while Finn had always been, as he put it, dubious. After all, the boy had been convinced that Quinn had been a pregnant virgin who had been impregnated in a hot tub.

"Because he was a bad person." Santana carefully said.

"What did he do? Did he steal a balloon from the man at the park? Because Mama said we aren't supposed to do that." Blair said. Santana chuckled.

"No, sweetie, he didn't do that. But Mama's right. Don't take things that are not yours. No, he did something really bad that your brother found out about and Adam told me, which was the right thing to do. If you ever hear something you think is wrong, I want you to tell Mama, Daddy, or me. You can even tell Brittany or Artie if you want." she told her daughter. Blair nodded.

"Okay Mommy." Santana pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Why don't you go ahead and go back to the table so Mommy can get some work done okay? Mama will be here to pick you up soon okay?" Blair nodded.

"Okay Mommy. I love you." Santana smiled.

"I love you too baby." Santana said. She stood up and carried Blair back to the table. "Hey are you guys doing okay?" she asked the kids. All of the kids nodded.

"Mommy?" Adam asked.

"Yes?" Adam reached his arms out for a hug. Santana happily obliged. Two months later, Santana walked into their apartment after a perfectly awful day at work. Rachel looked up from the salad she was making with a frown on her face, causing Santana to sigh. "What Ray?" Santana asked.

"You're late." Rachel said, pointing at the clock. Santana rolled her eyes.

"I'm so not in the mood for this. Call me when dinner's ready." Santana said, walking toward the bedroom.

"Santana!" Rachel yelled. Santana whipped around.

"What could you possibly want right now?" Santana exclaimed.

"Please don't walk away from me." Rachel said. Santana stared at her in disbelief.

"_Seriously_?" Santana yelled.

"Yes I'm serious. I don't know what's got you in such a bad mood, but don't take it out on me!" Rachel yelled.

"I tend to be in a bad mood when the first thing out of my wife's mouth when I walk in the door is '_You're late._'" Santana said.

"All I'm saying is I would appreciate it if you could call next time you'll be late coming home." Rachel said. Santana sighed in frustration and walked out of the room. "Okay, so I won't even bother asking how your day was!" Rachel yelled. Santana quickly came back into the room.

"My day sucked. That's how my day was. Apparently you haven't watched the news lately, because if you had, you'd know why I'm in such a bad mood and you'd know why I was late!" Santana said, going back into their bedroom. Curious, Rachel turned on the news.

"Oh my god." she said, closing her eyes.

"Yea... but you know what? You're right. I was being selfish. Next time I'm trying to not get blown up by some crazy guy so I can come home to you at all, I'll stop and think '_Is this going to make me late for dinner? I should probably call Rachel and let her know_.' Sorry I didn't do it this time. My bad." Santana said. Rachel looked over and noticed the cuts and bruises on Santana for the first time.

"San-"

"There was a child in that car when that bomb went off Rachel!" Santana yelled. Rachel's eyes widened. "Yea. Marcus and I were trying to find him and get him out and we opened the back of the van. The bomber had set it up so that when you opened the doors, it triggered the bomb. I hadn't seen it, but Marcus pulled me out of the way. We were barely out of harm's way when it went off." Santana said. Rachel got up and went over to hug her wife, but Santana pulled away. "The moment I was allowed to leave, the only thing I wanted to do was come home and see you and the kids. How do you think it felt when I came so close to never being able to hold you and tell you how much I love you and the first thing out of your mouth was telling me that I was late?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down.

"I am _so_ sorry, Santana." Rachel said.

"Yea well... so am I... look, I'm not that hungry. Dinner looks great though." Santana said, turning around. Ten minutes later, Rachel saw the girl sitting on the couch in their bedroom on her laptop.

"I know what you're looking at. You shouldn't do that to yourself." Rachel said. Santana shrugged. Rachel walked over and took the laptop out of the Latina's hands.

"What the hell, Rach?" Santana asked. Rachel ignored her, closed the internet, and put the laptop on the nearby table.

"San, you can't do that to yourself. Its not healthy." Rachel said.

"Yea well... I let a child die, Rachel." Santana argued.

"No. You were trying to save that child. If you had let him die, you wouldn't have been trying to save him." Rachel said.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I was a bitch the moment I walked in." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly and sat down in the girl's lap.

"Because you're my wife and I love you. I have since we were sixteen and I will until the day I die." Rachel said, laying her head on Santana's shoulder.

"That better not be any time soon, _mi estrella_." Santana said, pulling the girl closer to her.

"It won't." Rachel whispered.

"Good. I love you, baby girl." Santana said.

"I love you too, San. And I'm sorry for immediately jumping on your case." Rachel said.

"Its fine... I flipped out on you. You didn't deserve that." Santana said.

"Do you ever wish we could just go back to the simpler times?" Rachel asked.

"You mean like when we were in Lima?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Sometimes, but other times I just... I think about how much we've grown in New York. We went to college here, we got married here, our kids were born here..." Santana said.

"Yea but think of how much we grew in Lima. We were born there, we grew up there, we fell in love there, we _met_ there..." Rachel said.

"Do you want to move back to Lima?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged.

"Maybe... I mean, Brittany and Artie are moving back there in a month. Mike and Tina are already back there. My dads are there, all of our friends... you'd get to visit your parents more..." Rachel said.

"But what about Broadway?" Santana asked.

"San, with four kids, I'm not going back to Broadway. And I happen to know that Mr. Schue is looking for a new co-director for New Directions and Figgins is looking for a new Drama teacher." Rachel said.

"What about my job?" Santana asked curiously.

"Well, there are a couple of options... the Lima Police Department is looking for a new Detective." Rachel said.

"And the other option?"

"Quinn mentioned that Figgins wants to add a Criminal Justice class to the electives. You have the qualifications to teach and it'd be perfect for you. Plus, Quinn is looking for an Assitant Coach for the Cheerios." Rachel said. Quinn was the new coach of the Cheerios after Sue had finally been prosecuted for child endangerment. "And you could help out with Glee Club." Rachel added. Santana smiled.

"You really want to do this?" she asked. Rachel nodded.

"I miss home. I didn't think I would, but I do. And I know Finn does too. I think that the kids would adjust fairly easy. The city is just to much for them right now. We need to think about them." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Let's do it." she said.

"Really?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"You're right. We should go back to Lima. Its where we're from. Its who we are." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "Let's go home, baby girl."

"We're really doing it." Rachel said.

"We're moving back to Lima." Santana said, smiling. Santana and Rachel spent the rest of the night figuring out things for the move. Finn had the twins and Brittany and Artie had Adam and Blair. Santana called Quinn and asked her to set up interviews with Principal Figgins for her and Rachel. Around eight, Brittany brought Adam and Blair up. Finn had brought the twins back an hour before and the two had talked to Finn about moving back. Once they had Finn on board, they could talk to Adam and Blair about it. "Guys... do you like living in the city?" Santana asked her kids. They nodded.

"Mommy and I were talking and we think it would be best if we moved to Lima, where your Grandpa Leroy, Grandpa Hiram, Grandpa Burt, Grandma Carol, Uncle Puck, Aunt Quinn, Beth, Uncle Mike, Aunt Tina, Uncle Matt, Aunt Mercedes, Uncle Sam, Uncle Dave, Uncle Blaine, and Uncle Kurt live. Aunt Brittany and Uncle Artie are moving there soon, too." Rachel said.

"Why do we gotta move?" Adam said. Santana saw Rachel cringe at her son's horrible grammar, but jumped in before Rachel could correct him.

"Well, we feel that if we live in the city while you two are growing up, we'll miss so much. Mama and I grew up in Lima with your Daddy, Uncle Sam, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Artie, Aunt Tina, Uncle Mike, Aunt Mercedes, Uncle Matt, Uncle Dave, Uncle Kurt, Uncle Blaine, Aunt Quinn, and Uncle Puck. Mama and I both had great relationships with our parents and when I look back, I think its because we lived in such a small town. We got to spend a lot of time together. Mama and I want to be able to have those relationships with you guys and the twins." Santana explained.

"What about Daddy?" Blair asked.

"Daddy is going to come with us. You guys will make new friends and you'll be friends with them for a long time. Mommy and I are still friends with the people we went to school with in Lima. And that's where Mommy and I met and we're still together." Rachel said, smiling at Santana, who nodded.

"We want you guys to be able to have a real childhood, in a real town. We love the city and we'll visit, but we want you guys to be able to experience what we did growing up. It'll be good for us, I promise." Santana added.

"Are you still gonna be unsafe at work?" Adam asked. Santana looked at Rachel with wide eyes.

"Wha... What do you mean, sweetie?" Santana asked.

"I don't like it when you go to work, Mommy... ever since Nicky..." Adam said. Santana quickly walked over and hugged her son.

"Buddy, I am never going to leave you. I promise." Santana said, trying not to cry. "I'll be safer in Lima. Mama and I are going to try to get jobs at the school." Santana said. Adam and Blair nodded. Rachel took them to bed and Santana went into her and Rachel's room and began crying. Soon, Rachel was walking in.

"San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana wiped her eyes.

"My own kids were afraid every single time I went to work and I had no clue. I'm a terrible mother." Santana said. Rachel immediately laid down and pulled the girl with her.

"You need to stop right there. No you aren't. You're an amazing mother. You're an amazing person, Santana. You are so sweet with those kids and you're really good with them. They adore you." Rachel said. Santana turned to look at her wife. "Amazing." Rachel whispered. She watched as her wife looked down. "And that is exactly why I love you." Rachel continued. Santana looked up.

"I love you too." Santana whispered, softly kissing Rachel. "And for the record, you're just as good of a mother and person as I am. Probably even better." Santana said. Six weeks later, the Lopez family was moving back to Lima, Ohio (otherwise known as the place Santana and Rachel swore they'd never move back to). The two were set to start work at William McKinley High School - Rachel as the new Drama teacher and co-director of New Directions and Santana as the Criminal Justice teacher, Assitant Coach of the Cheerios, and co-director of New Directions (Quinn had also decided to become a co-director of the Glee Club. Mr. Schue was ecstatic that his former students wanted to help out with the club) - the first day of school, which was in two days. The family that had bought Santana's parent's house when they died was moving. Santana and Rachel immediately put an offer down.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Rachel, I want that house. I grew up there." Santana said, sitting on their bed. Rachel smirked._

_"Santana, do you really want one of our children to live in the room where we had sex for the first time?" Rachel asked. Santana rolled her eyes._

_"It's not like the bed is still there." Santana replied, smiling._

_"I think its a good fit. We had a lot of good times there and I know that you loved that house growing up. We'll put an offer down, if you're sure you can handle it." Rachel said._

_"What do you mean?" Santana asked._

_"After your parents died, you wouldn't go near that area. Even during senior year, you wouldn't go to that neighborhood no matter what." Rachel explained._

_"I can handle it." Santana said._

_"If you want that house, then that's the house we'll get. You know I love that house." Rachel said, sitting next to Santana on the bed._

_"I want it, Ray. I really, really want that house." Santana whispered. Rachel nodded._

_"Let's call the real estate agent." Rachel said._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana had enlisted Finn, Burt, Blaine, Sam, Puck, Mike, Matt, and even Karofsky to help them move in. Rachel had taken Adam and Blair to her dads's house and gone to visit Carol and Kurt with the twins. Santana stood in the doorway of the house. She was instantly taken into a flashback.

_FLASHBACK_

_The Lopez family was sitting at dinner. "I'm dating Rachel Berry." Santana suddenly blurted out. Her parents looked up in surprise._

_"That nice girl from Glee Club?" her mother asked. Santana nodded. "Are you happy?" she asked._

_"Yea." Santana said._

_"That's all that matters. We look forward to meeting her. Invite her over for dinner tomorrow night." her father said. Santana was so shocked she could only nod._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel made her way to the Lopez house. Cautiously, she rang the doorbell. She only had to wait on the porch for a few short moments before it swung open. A smiling woman greeted her. "You must be Rachel. I'm Maria, Santana's mother." Rachel shook the hand that was extended in front of her._

_"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lopez." Rachel said. She returned the smile._

_"We loved your singing at Sectionals and Regionals last year. Don't Rain on My Parade is my favorite song." Maria said. Rachel beamed._

_"Thank you so much." Maria opened her mouth to call her daughter, but the sound of feet crashing down the stairs stopped her. Both Rachel and Maria smiled as Santana neared the foot of the stairs. Suddenly, there was a sudden stop in the noise, followed by a yell. Soon, Santana was lying on her back at the foot of the stairs. Rachel's eyes widened and Maria stifled her laughter. "San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. She quickly made her way to the other girl._

_"I'm fine. I just tripped and fell down the stairs. I'm okay, though." Santana said. A man came running into the kitchen._

_"I heard yelling and then a crash. What happened? Is everyone all right?" he asked. Santana raised a hand from the floor in acknowledgement._

_"I fell, Dad. I'm fine," she said._

_"Your daughter got a little excited at the arrival of our guest." Maria explained. Santana's father noticed Rachel and smiled._

_"You must be the girl my Santana has been talking non-stop about for the past month." he said. Rachel smiled shyly._

_"I'm Rachel. Rachel Berry." she introduced. Santana's father smiled and shook her hand._

_"Adam Lopez. It's nice to finally meet you, Rachel. You are an amazing singer," the man said._

_"Okay, you guys don't need to tell her that. She already knows." Santana said. She smiled up at Rachel. Rachel smiled, shook her head, rolled her eyes, and helped the girl up. "Gracias." Santana said. She dusted off her jeans before hugging Rachel. "Hi." Santana said softly, suddenly shy. Rachel smiled, suddenly feeling shy as well._

_"Hi." Rachel whispered. Santana's parents watched their daughter and her girlfriend stand there smiling softly at each other while playing with each other's fingers and smiled at the exchange._

_"Santana, why don't you show Rachel your room? Dinner will be ready in about five or so minutes." Maria said. Santana nodded and started to lead Rachel up the stairs. "Santana." Maria said. Santana turned around. "Don't make me regret letting you do that."_

_"Mom!" Santana exclaimed. Rachel's eyes widened. Both of Santana's parents laughed at the expressions._

_"Just go, mija." Adam said._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Maria called their names and the two girls went downstairs. As Rachel and Santana walked into the dining room, Santana grabbed Rachel's hand and led her to the table. __"Dinner looks amazing, Mrs. Lopez." Rachel said. __Maria beamed._

_"I like her, mija." Maria said._

_"As do I. Rachel you are welcome here anytime." Adam said. __It was Santana's turn to beam. Her parents' opinions meant the world to her. This just strengthened her opinion on her relationship with Rachel. As the group ate, everyone laughed and got along as if Rachel and Santana had been friends their entire lives._

_"Rachel, we would love to spend some time with your fathers and get to know all of you." Maria said._

_"That would be awesome, Mrs. Lopez. What did you have in mind?" Rachel asked._

_"There's a concert this weekend, about an hour and a half outside of Lima. What if we all went?" Adam suggested._

_"Sounds great. I'll talk to them tonight and tell Santana." Rachel said._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana was bringing Rachel to her house for the first time. It was a couple of days after they'd decided to start dating. "So... this is my house." Santana said, taking Rachel's jacket and putting it on the coat rack. Rachel's jaw dropped._

_"You live here?" Rachel asked, amazed. Santana nodded. "Its beautiful, San." Rachel said. Santana shrugged._

_"Yea, I guess. You hungry?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head, standing still. Santana laughed and gently pushed Rachel. "You know, there' s more to the house than this hallway, Rach." Santana teased. Rachel nodded and looked at Santana, who smiled. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Santana asked, pulling Rachel closer to her._

_"That there's more to you than you give off. I really like this side of you, Santana. I can't wait to see what else you don't tell people." Rachel said. Santana kissed Rachel._

_"And I can't wait to show you." Santana whispered._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_When Finn got to Santana's house, he looked suspicious of something. "So what do you need to ask me about?" he asked, speaking to Rachel._

_"Actually Finn, we have something we need to tell you." The girls decided it would be better if Rachel did most of the talking._

_"What's up?"_

_"Santana and I…I mean, we are….Santana and I are…" Rachel trailed off._

_"Are you trying to tell me that you two have been dating since homecoming week when we sang that Britney Spears number?" Finn interrupted. __Both girls looked at him. _

_"You know?" they asked in unison._

_"Rachel, you're my girlfriend. I know you. I see you watching Santana when she isn't looking. And I see Santana watching you when you aren't looking. And I see the looks you two share when you make eye contact. Plus, when is the last time Santana slushied you?" Finn reasoned. __Santana and Rachel looked at each other. _

_"You aren't mad?" Rachel asked._

_"At first, I was. But then I realized I want you to be happy." Finn said._

_"Why did you not say anything?" Santana asked._

_"I want her to be happy. She wouldn't be very happy if I outed her to the school. Besides, I figured if Rachel and I were together, nobody would suspect you two were together." Finn smiled. Santana nodded. _

_"Wow. Thanks, Finn." The two shared a smile._

_"We were planning on telling the Glee Club tomorrow, but we wanted you to know first. We didn't want to blindside you. But it looks like we wouldn't have anyway." Rachel said._

_"Thanks for respecting me enough to do that. Seriously, it means a lot. If anyone gives you guys a hard time about it, I'll be the first to beat them up. Yeah, even before you, San." Finn said._

_"I don't doubt that Finn." Santana said._

_"I really do hope you two are happy together." Finn said to his (now ex) girlfriend and her new (Well, not new technically, but for all intense purposes) girlfriend._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Over the next few days, with the help of the three Berrys, Santana planned her parents' funeral. She was going to speak at it. At first, she wasn't sure if she would be able to, but she knew it was what they would want. After the funeral, Rachel's fathers finally convinced her that it would never be a good time to go to her house and sort through everything and move all of her possessions to their house, so she might as well do it soon. Rachel and her fathers helped her move her stuff to the Berry household, but only Rachel remained to help Santana sort through her parents' stuff. Or so was the plan. __"Rachel. I can't…I can't do this. I can't just sort through this stuff as if my parents were never in my life." Santana said after boxing up everything else._

_"Baby, it has to be done. And I think your parents would prefer that you did it, rather than the Bank or random people." Rachel said_

_"What kinds of people go sorting through random people's homes?" Santana said._

_"Didn't you steal the lights on our Glee Club Christmas tree from your next door neighbor when she passed away?" Rachel asked._

_"Oh…." Santana said. "Why don't you do it? It's the next best thing." Santana continued, before walking out of the house and getting in her car. The two had drove separate cars to make it easier to transport everything. Rachel followed shortly after._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana opened the door when Rachel got to her house. __"Berry." she greeted. __She ushered the other girl into the house. As soon as the door was closed, Rachel kissed Santana._

_"I am so sorry." Rachel said._

_"For what?" Santana asked._

_"For what happened at lunch. I never meant to hurt you." Rachel said._

_"Rach, I told you, I'm fine. Can we please stop bringing it up?" Santana quietly asked. __Rachel was taken aback by the soft tone of the cheerleader. She had never seen this side of her._

_"Sure, of course." Rachel whispered. __Santana softly smiled. She led the other girl into the living room._

_"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" she asked. __Rachel nodded. Santana gestured towards a shelf that was full of movies. __"Take your pick." she said. __While Rachel went to inspect the selection, Santana opened a drawer that was full of takeout menus. __"Are you hungry?" she asked. __She looked at Rachel who had her back to Santana while trying to choose a movie. Rachel nodded without looking at Santana. The cheerleader walked over and put her arms around the smaller girl's waist. As Rachel fell into the embrace, Santana softly kissed Rachel's neck. __"I'm sorry I blew up at you earlier today." she whispered._

_"I thought you wanted to stop talking about it." Rachel said._

_"I know, I just… I needed to say that. I don't want you mad at me." Santana said._

_"It's fine, Santana. I'm not mad." Rachel assured her. __She smiled up at the taller girl. Santana smiled back and went back to the menu drawer._

_"What do you want to eat?" she asked. __An hour later, Santana was lying on the couch with Rachel in her arms. There was an empty pizza box on the coffee table and two dirty plates. To Santana's surprise, Rachel had not chosen a musical, despite the fact that Santana's mother was an avid musical lover. Rachel had chosen the movie Jumper, stating it was one of her favorite movies. __"You know, I never pegged you for an action movie kind of person." Santana said._

_"Are you kidding? I love action movies." Rachel said._

_"Really?" Santana said. __She was surprised. She loved seeing this side of Rachel. The two laid in a comfortable silence._

_"This should be extremely awkward." Rachel said._

_"The captain of the Glee Club and the head cheerleader together? Yea, it should." Santana said._

_"I thought you weren't head Cheerio anymore." Rachel said. __Santana winced._

_"I… I'm not." she said._

_"San, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Rachel said._

_"It's fine, Rachel." Santana said. __She smiled at Rachel._

_"Can I ask you a question?" Rachel asked._

_"Sure. You can ask me anything." Santana said._

_"Why did you lose your spot to Quinn?" __Santana looked away._

_"I… I did something that I really regret doing and Coach Sylvester found out about it."_

_"What did you do?" Rachel softly asked._

_"You're just going to think that I am pathetic." Santana said._

_"I could never think that." Rachel said._

_"I got a boob job over the summer. Sue has a no plastics policy on Cheerios, so I lost my spot." Santana said. __Rachel silently nodded._

_"Please say something." Santana said._

_"While I don't exactly condone what you did, seeing as we're sixteen and have no idea what we will look like in ten years, I do admire that you recognize that it may have been a fast paced decision." Rachel said. __Santana nodded, taking in her girlfriend's words._

_"Why did you do it?" Rachel asked._

_"I don't know. I guess I wanted people to notice me more. They always notice Quinn, until they realize what a prude she is. You're the first person to like me for me, Rachel." Santana explained._

_"Santana, you are an amazing person." Rachel said._

_"You know the homecoming assembly is coming up." Santana said. __She was obviously trying to change the subject. Rachel laughed._

_"Very subtle."_

_"You ready for the performance?" Santana asked._

_"Yea, I am." Rachel said._

_"You know, I'll be singing to you, right?" Santana said. __Rachel blushed._

_"So do you have a date to the dance?" Rachel asked._

_"Well, I wanted to go with you." Santana said._

_"Santana…" Rachel said, trailing off._

_"I get it, Rachel. It's okay. Anyway, Sam Evans asked me to go as friends." Santana said. __Rachel nodded. __"I am guessing you are going with Finn?"_

_"I'm really sorry, Santana." Rachel said._

_"Dont be. Just promise that you will sneak off with me a couple times." Santana said._

_"Deal." Rachel agreed._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana was jolted out of her flashback when Karofsky asked her where a box went. She looked at it and noticed it was a box of toys, she volunteered to take it upstairs. She stopped in the doorway of her old room and was jolted into multiple flashbacks.

_FLASHBACK_

_They had made really lame excuses to get out of Glee Club and went back to Santana's house. The moment they were in Santana's room, Rachel tackled Santana on the bed and kissed her. Things were beginning to get heated when suddenly Santana pulled back. __"What's wrong baby?" Rachel asked. __She got a little afraid as Santana just stared at her. A smile began to grow on the Latina's face. __"Santana. You're beginning to scare me." __Santana's smile faltered a bit._

_"Sorry baby. I didn't mean to scare you."_

_"Then what's wrong?" Rachel asked. __Santana looked in Rachel's eyes._

_"I just… I love you Rachel." she said. __She was smiling and __Rachel's eyes widened._

_"You… you what?"_

_"I love you Rachel. So much." __Santana was getting a little scared. What if Rachel didn't love her back? What if she had just made a complete fool out of herself? Santana was going through many scenarios in her head, all which ended with her single, alone, and depressed, when her thoughts were interrupted by the girl in front of her._

_"I love you too, Santana. I have wanted to say it for awhile, but I didn't know if you felt the same way." __Rachel smiled._

_"How could you ever doubt that?" Santana asked._

_"Do the words 'slushie', 'dwarf', and 'God Berry. Quit being such a buzz kill and let people do what they want for a change.' ring a bell to you?" Rachel teased. __She unintentionally caused Santana's face to drop. __"Baby, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…" __Rachel trailed off as Santana lifted a hand._

_"No. I am the one who should be sorry. All that stuff I said and did to you, it was mean and wrong and unnecessary."_

_"It's okay Santana."_

_"No it isn't Rach."_

_"San, it's fine. I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I know you have changed. The girl who did all that stuff? She's gone and she has been replaced by someone who I have fallen in love with. I don't even remember that Santana, because I have this one." __Rachel smiled and kissed Santana again._

_"I love you baby girl." Santana said._

_"I love you too." __Rachel smiled as Santana began to kiss her again. __After awhile, Rachel pulled away._

_"What is it? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Santana asked._

_"San… I'm ready." Rachel said. __Santana's eyes widened._

_"Rach… are you sure?" Santana asked. __Rachel nodded._

_"I want you to be my first." she said._

_"I promise I'll be careful, baby girl. I love you." Santana said._

_"I love you too." Rachel said._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_When Santana got home, her phone rang. She knew by the ring tone, Justin Bieber's song 'Kiss and Tell', that it was Rachel._

_Baby, i know that your cool with rockin' with me_  
><em>But i can't have you tellin' everybody<em>  
><em>That you got me all twisted with your lips like this so<em>  
><em>Tell me, Tell me are you gonna kiss (kiss n tell)<em>  
><em>Tell me are you gonna kiss (kiss n tell)<em>  
><em>Tell me are you gonna kiss me<em>  
><em>Then tell everybody<em>  
><em>That you got me twisting with your lips<em>  
><em>Girl are you gonna kiss n tell<em>

_Santana picked up. "Now that people know about us, I should probably change your ring tone, huh?"_

_"Yeah, probably." Rachel laughed. "Remember when I put that as your ring tone for me?"_

_"Yeah. We probably should change that one. I have the perfect song in mind." Santana said._

_"You still can't put 'I Wanna Sex You Up' as my ring tone." Rachel said._

_Santana sighed. "Fine. We'll talk about it later."_

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana layed in her bed one night, thinking about how Finnoncence was probably alone in the auditorium with Rachel, rehearsing. She tried calling Rachel, but no answer. She got Rachel's voicemail message. "Hey its Rachel. Leave a message." She planned on it._

_"Rach, I need you to call me back. I... I really hope you aren't rehearsing your scenes for Rocky Horror with Finn. We agreed that I'd sit in on your rehearsals, even if I had to watch from the very back of the auditorium. Anyway, just call me back. I... I really love you, baby girl. Bye." Santana said. as she hung up the phone. She fell back on her bed and thought back to that morning in Glee Club..._

_'How could my relationship go from amazing to undetermined in one morning?' Santana thought to herself. She shook her head. The only thing she could do was to wait for Rachel to return her call. She somehow fell asleep, because next thing she knew, she was being jolted awake by the sounds of Justin Bieber's 'Kiss 'N Tell'. She picked up her phone cautiously._

**_Incoming Call_**

**_Rachel_**

_"Hello?" Santana said groggily._

_"...Did you just wake up?" Rachel asked._

_"Naps are healthy, Rachel. What do you need?" Santana asked, hoping to get back to her nap._

_"You left me a voicemail asking me to call you back. I just got it." Rachel said._

_"Oh... did you just get done rehearsing with Finn?" Santana asked, somewhat accusingly._

_"Okay, I don't really appreciate the tone. And I wasn't rehearsing with Finn. I was at dance class." Rachel said._

_"Mmhmm..." Santana said, looking at her pillow._

_"San are you okay?" Rachel asked._

_"Yea, Rach... I'm fine. I just... I feel really... really hot right now." Santana said._

_"Where are you?" Rachel asked._

_"My room. My parents are at work." Santana said._

_"San, you keep your room at like 50 degrees. How the hell are you feeling hot in there?" Rachel asked, getting worried._

_"I dunno. I just... just... am." Santana said._

_"I'm on my way over." Rachel said._

_"I don't want you to." Santana weakly argued._

_"Why?" Rachel asked._

_"I'm mad at you." Santana said._

_"Get over it. You're home alone and most likely sick. I'm on my way over." Rachel said. She hung up the phone before Santana could say anything else. _

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_That night they started dating, Santana was happier than her parents had ever seen her. She actually conversed with her family and in a polite way. She went up to her room and started doing her homework. Suddenly, her phone buzzed._

**_New Message_**

**_Rachel _**

_Santana instantly smiled and opened the text_

**_Hey, I have a surprise for you. –R_**

_Santana raised an eyebrow even though she knew Rachel couldn't see it. She quickly typed out a response._

**_Oh really? What is it? –S_**

**_If I told you it wouldn't exactly be a surprise. –R_**

**_Do I even get a hint? –S_**

**_You really want a hint? –R_**

**_Duh! –S_**

**_Okay, your hint is… you'll get to see it tomorrow at school. –R_**

**_…That's a terrible hint, Rachel. –S_**

**_:) I never said it would be a good one. –R_**

**_But Raaaaaach. I need a hint! –S_**

**_Sorry. –R_**

**_This isn't very nice. –S_**

**_San, believe me. You're going to want to see it for yourself. –R_**

**_…Okay… -S_**

**_Hey, I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow? –R_**

**_Definitely. Maybe we can sneak into the janitor's closet? :) –S_**

**_…I will think about it. –R_**

**_I expect some answers tomorrow, little girl. –S_**

**_You'll get them. Do not worry. –R_**

**_Lol. Okay. Night baby girl. –S_**

**_:) Night, San. –R_**

_Santana put her phone down and lay down on her bed. She knew there was no point even thinking about doing her homework now, because she was not going to be able to concentrate on it._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel walked into the Lopez house and ran up the stairs to Santana's room. She entered the room to find Santana lying on the bed in her pajamas. Rachel stopped in her tracks. She had never seen Santana look so pathetic. "San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana looked up._

_"Go away." she groaned. Rachel shook her head. "Go away!" Santana repeated._

_"Santana, I'm not going anywhere, so shut up and let me take care of you." Rachel said. Santana groaned and rolled over. "What do you need?" Rachel asked._

_"I need you to go away. I'm mad at you." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed. She propped Santana up against her pillows and covered her up with a blanket. Santana tried to throw it off. "I'm too hot." Santana said. Rachel smirked._

_"Got that right." she said. Santana attempted to smirk, but couldn't pull it off. Rachel let it be and left the blanket off. She went into Santana's bathroom and looked through the medicine cabinet. She saw a thermometer and grabbed it. She walked back into Santana's room. "Open your mouth." Rachel ordered. Santana looked over, saw the thermometer, and obeyed. Rachel stuck the thermometer in Santana's mouth and waited until it beeped. She pulled it out and looked at it. "Damn. 101.4. San, you have a fever." Rachel informed her girlfriend. Santana groaned again._

_"What does that mean?" Santana asked._

_"It means that you get to waited on hand and foot by me." Rachel said. Santana shook her head. "Santana, you're going to let me take care of you." Rachel ordered. Santana groaned._

_"Fine." she gave in. Rachel smiled. "But I won't like it." Santana said. Rachel shrugged._

_"You don't have to like it. But you will deal with it and not give me any crap." Rachel said. Santana nodded. _

_END __FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana called Rachel._

_"Hello?" she answered._

_"Hi, I'm looking for the owner of this phone? She's really hot and an amazing singer. Is she there?" Santana asked. __She smiled into the phone._

_"Hey San!" Rachel said._

_"Hey. What's up baby girl?" Santana asked._

_"Nothing much. I was just about to start getting ready for tonight." Rachel said._

_"I could come over and do your hair and make up for you if you want." Santana offered._

_"Really?" Rachel said._

_"Sure. Want me to?"_

_"Yea, sure." Rachel said._

_"I am on my way over." Santana said._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Later, Mrs. Lopez ran up to Santana's room. Santana looked up and saw her mom._

_"You called my mother?" she asked Rachel._

_"She came home from work, Santana." Rachel explained._

_"Mom, I'm fine." Santana croaked._

_"Santana, you have a 101.4 degree fever and frankly, you look awful." Mrs. Lopez said. Santana sighed. "I'm going to go check on the tea." Mrs. Lopez said, feeling the tension between the girls. Once she was gone, Rachel spoke up._

_"Why are you mad at me?" Rachel asked, sitting down on the bed._

_"You were with Finnocence." Santana said._

_"No, I wasn't. I was at dance class, like I told you. Baby, I promised that you could be at every rehearsal and I meant that." Rachel said._

_"You never told me that you had a dance class today." Santana said. Rachel sighed._

_"Yes, I did. You were too busy glaring at Finn to pay attention." Rachel said. Santana looked at her._

_"I do do that a lot." Santana admitted. Rachel smiled._

_"Are you still mad at me?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head and Rachel pulled her into a hug._

_"Good, because I love you. I don't want you mad at me." Rachel said._

_"I love you too Rach." Santana said. Rachel's phone rang._

**_Incoming Call_**

**_Finn_**

_Rachel looked over at Santana. "It's Finn isn't it?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded and Santana sighed. "Go ahead and answer it." Santana said. Rachel smiled apologetically as she answered._

_"Hello?" Rachel said._

_"Hey Rach. Want to get together tonight?" Finn asked. Rachel looked over at Santana._

_"Actually Finn, I have something to do tonight." Rachel said._

_"What could be more important than hanging out with me?" Finn asked. Santana heard this and mouthed 'Everything.' Rachel stifled her laughter before turning her attention back to the phone._

_"Someone I love is really sick and I promised to take care of them. I'm sorry, Finn." Rachel said. Finn sighed._

_"Okay. If it's that important to you than I can take a rain check. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." Finn said. Rachel bit her lip._

_"Yea. You too." Rachel said before hanging up._

_"Wow, you almost outted us." Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"I never said that it was someone I was dating. As far as Finn's concerned, I could be taking care of my grandfather." Rachel said._

_"So now I'm your grandfather?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled._

_"I don't kiss my grandfather like I kiss you, San." Rachel said._

_"Good, because that would be really weird." Santana teased. Rachel rolled her eyes and kissed the top of Santana's hair. "Now, I'm going to spend however long it takes and make sure you feel better. I'm here for you." Rachel said. Santana smiled and put her head in Rachel's lap._

_"You're amazing, Rach." Santana said._

_"That's not what you were saying earlier when you were mad at me." Rachel said._

_"Well, I'm saying it now. You're wonderful. That's why I love you." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana's forehead._

_"Normally, I'd kiss you on the lips, but no." Rachel said. Santana laughed, which turned into a cough._

_"I understand." she coughed out._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Brittany and Santana were hanging out in Santana's room. __"Does Rachel make you happy?" Brittany suddenly asked. __Santana looked surprised._

_"Where did that come from?"_

_"I just want to make sure that you're happy." Brittany explained._

_"She makes me extremely happy, B. I've never been this happy before." __Santana frowned as she saw Brittany look down. __"B, what we had wasn't healthy. I love you, but as a sister. You are my best friend." Santana said. __Brittany nodded._

_"I know. I love you too, S."_

_"Does Artie make you happy?" Santana asked._

_"Yea, he does." Brittany said._

_"Good."_

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana and Rachel were hanging out in Santana's room. Santana was on her phone and Rachel was singing some Broadway song that Santana had never heard of. __"You drive me crazy, you know?" Santana suddenly said. __Rachel stopped singing._

_"Is that a good thing?" she asked._

_"Not right now. You are literally driving me insane." Santana said. __Rachel turned to face her._

_"Why's that?" she asked._

_"Rachel, you've been singing the same song for an hour and a half. Pick a different one." Santana said._

_"A different song? Okay… how about…" Rachel trailed off, thinking. Her smile widened. She started singing again. __"Baby, baby, baby, oh. Like, baby, baby, baby, no!" __Santana cut her off._

_"Another song please." _

_"I thought you liked Justin Bieber."_

_"I hate that song." Santana explained._

_"Fine." Rachel said. __She picked a different Broadway song. Santana hadn't heard of it, but she automatically liked it because it was a different song. Suddenly, Rachel stopped singing. __"Sweetie?" she asked. __Santana did not look up from her phone._

_"Yea?" she replied._

_"Do you think I can make it to Broadway?" Rachel asked. __Santana looked up from her phone at that._

_"Baby, where is that coming from?" Santana asked. She'd never known Rachel to doubt her abilities and talent._

_"In Glee, when you went to the bathroom Mr. Schue said something." Rachel said. She didn't want to go into details, knowing it would upset Santana. Santana's face clouded with anger._

_"What did he say?" Santana asked._

_"I was suggesting songs for a duet between Finn and I for Sectionals and he got mad and told me that not everything was about me and that I'm not the only good singer in the club and that if I just stop and listen, I might realize that while I am talented, I might not be as talented as I think I am." Rachel said. Santana was furious. Rachel saw this and put a hand on Santana's shoulder._

_"Sweetie, calm down. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Rachel said. She looked away. Santana gently turned her face toward her._

_"Baby look at me. Rachel Berry, you are as talented as you think you are and you are destined for Broadway. Don't let Will Schuester tell you otherwise. The man couldn't keep his marriage together and then the girl he left his crazy wife for left him for the hottest dentist alive. What does he really know?" Santana said. Rachel quietly laughed and looked into Santana's eyes._

_"You really mean that?"_

_"Of course mi estrella. You are born to be a star." Santana said._

_"Your star." Rachel said._

_"Always remember that you are my star." Santana recited._

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_"Someone really needs to put Berry in her place." Rachel said as soon as she walked into Santana's room. Santana looked up. _

_"What's going on in your mind right now, Rachel?" Santana asked._

_"That's what I overheard Quinn say in the restroom today." Rachel explained. She dropped down on to Santana's bed and watched her girlfriend's face go from excited to see her to anger._

_"I'll kill her." Santana said._

_"You'll blow our cover, Santana." Rachel replied._

_"Do I look like I care? I'm tired of having to hear her insult you. Plus, she always gets mad when I don't join in." Santana said._

_"Why do I always manage to say the wrong thing?" Rachel wondered aloud._

_"It's not you who says the wrong thing, its them. You just repeat it." Santana said. Rachel looked at her. "Honestly, its better if I hear it from you, because you know how I get. I'm unable to hide my anger." Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"I do love that you want to defend and protect me." she said._

_"Why would I not want to?" Santana asked._

_"Because technically you're supposed to hate me." Rachel said._

_"Except you know that that's nowhere near true." Santana said._

_"Not anymore." Rachel replied._

_"Rachel, I never hated you. I just didn't like you at times and I thought you were annoying. But I never hated you." Santana said._

_"Santana." Rachel said in a disbelieving tone._

_"Rachel. I never hated you." Santana repeated. Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"Okay…"_

_"And even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because I don't hate you now. I love you." Santana said._

_"I know you do." Rachel said. Santana looked at her expectantly. "What?" Rachel asked._

_"Is there something you want to say to me?" Santana asked. Rachel thought._

_"Your hair looks cute right now." Rachel said. Santana glared at her, causing Rachel to laugh. "I love you too, Santana." Rachel said. Santana looked over at her camera._

_"We better hope no one steals my camera."_

_"Why not?" Rachel asked. She looked over and saw the camera._

_"Because there are about thirty videos of you and I making out or saying I love you on it. I think that might blow our cover." Santana explained. Rachel nodded._

_"Just a little bit, huh?" Rachel said. She and Santana looked at each other, before laughing._

_"Come here, baby girl." Santana said. She pulled Rachel into a hug and kissed her._

_"I love you." Rachel sighed._

_"I love you too, Rachel."_

_END FLASHBACK_

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana huffed and pulled Rachel upstairs, leaving her parents in the kitchen. Once inside the taller girl's bedroom, Santana sighed. __"I am so sorry about that." Santana said. __Rachel smiled._

_"Its fine. I assume your parents don't know what happened up here during the duets competition?" Rachel asked._

_"No, and they dont need to. Keep your trap shut. I know that's hard for you, but try, okay?" Santana said. __Rachel rolled her eyes and looked at the pictures that were on Santana's dresser and desk. A lot were of Santana and Brittany. Santana couldn't help but notice the sad look on Rachel's face. __"Baby girl, you know that I would totally put up pictures of us, right?" Santana said. __Rachel nodded._

_"I know." Rachel said in a monotone. __Santana stared at Rachel for a moment._

_"I want to show you something," she said. __Santana reached under her bed and pulled out a trunk. She got the key from her key ring and unlocked it. Rachel gasped when she saw the contents of the trunk. __"This is where I keep all of our pictures and… well I guess you could say mementos from our relationship. I look at them all the time. It's amazing Brittany and Quinn haven't caught me looking at them when they come barging into my room." Santana said. __Rachel walked over and kissed Santana._

_"It's amazing, Santana." Rachel said. __Santana smiled._

_"Hey there's one of us on the dresser. Its after we won Sectionals last year. It may be a group picture, but you and I are hugging in it." she said. __Rachel looked at the picture and smiled._

_"I love it." she replied. __Rachel walked back over and inspected the displayed pictures. She couldn't help but notice a large amount of pictures of Santana and a younger boy. She came across a picture of Santana, her parents, and the same young boy. __"San?" __Santana turned around._

_"Yea?" she asked._

_"Who is this?" Rachel asked. __She held up a picture of Santana and the boy. Santana stared at the picture for a moment before quickly walking over and yanking the picture out of Rachel's hands. She set the frame back down in its original spot._

_"Nobody you need to worry about." Santana said in a sharp tone. __Rachel winced at the harsh tone and unconsciously backed away from her girlfriend._

_"I… I'm sorry, Santana. I didn't mean to pry." Rachel quickly apologized. __Santana closed her eyes and walked toward Rachel. Rachel stopped, not knowing what to expect. When Santana reached her, she pulled Rachel into a hug and kissed the top of her head._

_"Baby girl, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Its just really personal and it makes me sad." Santana explained. __She took a deep breath before continuing. __"That's my younger brother, Marco."_

_"I thought you were an only child." Rachel said._

_"He died a couple of years ago, when he was twelve. He had leukemia." Santana said._

_"San, I am so sorry. I had no idea. Look, we can drop the subject." Rachel said. __Santana gave her a weak smile._

_"I wish you had met him. He would have liked you." Santana said._

_"I'm sure I would have like him as well." Rachel replied._

_"You are amazing." Santana said. __She leaned down and kissed Rachel's neck before kissing her._

_END FLASHBACK_

This time it was Puck that drew her out of her daydream. "San, you do know that that's not your room anymore, right?" he teased. Santana laughed. "Remember all the fun times we had in there?" he asked.

"I try not to." Santana shot back. He rolled his eyes and she smiled, walking to the master bedroom.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Mom?" Santana asked, timidly walking into the room. Her mother looked up and smiled._

_"Yes mija?" her mother asked._

_"Are you okay with me dating another girl?" Santana asked. Her mother nodded._

_"Sweetie, we suspected it for the longest time. We were just waiting for you to realize it yourself." she replied._

_"You don't hate me?" Santana asked. Her mother shook her head._

_"We could never hate you, Santana." her father said, walking into the room. "We love you no matter what. Always remember that." he continued._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana walked back into the hallway and saw the room that had once been her brother's. She looked down, knowing that he had been taken too soon, just like her parents.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Hey little man. Get your ass out of bed and come hang out with me." fourteen-year-old Santana said to her twelve (almost thirteen) year old brother, who was lying on his stomach. She walked into the room and heard the faint sounds of crying. "Dude, are you crying? Come on, you're too old for that, Marco." Santana said. He rolled over and Santana saw that his eyes were completely bloodshot. "What's wrong? I was just kidding, Marco." Santana said. He looked up at the ceiling. "Damn it, Marco. Tell me what's wrong!" Santana said, sitting on the bed._

_"I'm sick, San." he whispered. Santanan nodded._

_"I figured that out when you gave me fake vomit for my birthday." she said, trying to lighten the mood. He shook his head._

_"I'm really sick." he said. Santana stopped breathing._

_"What... what's wrong?" she asked._

_"I couldn't really understand, but I know its bad." Marco whispered. _

_"I'll be right back, okay?" Santana said, running out of the room in search of her parents. "Mom! What's wrong? Why is Marco saying he's sick?" Santana asked. Her mother was crying._

_"Mija, your brother has lukemia." her mom said._

_"What?" Santana whispered. Her mom nodded. "No. No! He can't have that. He's supposed... we're supposed to... No!" she yelled._

_"Mija, this is going to be hard for all of us. Your brother needs you." Maria said._

_"Is he going to..." Santana trailed off. Her mother silently nodded. Santana barely made it to her room before she began sobbing._

_END FLASHBACK_

Small arms encircled her waist. She smiled. "When did you get back?" she asked.

"Just now. The twins are being entertained by our movers." Rachel said. Santana turned around and kissed her wife. "What are you thinking about?" Rachel asked.

"Most recently, when I found out that Marco was sick." Santana said. Rachel looked down. "Today's been a walk through memory lane. Its not a bad thing." Santana said. Rachel hugged Santana tighter and the Latina returned the hug. "Thank you for letting us buy this house." Santana whispered.

"Of course. This is your home. And I think your brother's room will be a good fit for Adam." Rachel said.

"You know, I'm thinking about letting Blair have the master room. My old room has such sentimental value to us." Santana joked. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Something tells me that any serious conversations with her won't be taking place in there." Rachel said.

"I don't know. I think when it comes time to give her The Talk, that room will be appropriate." Santana answered. Rachel laughed. "We're home, _mi estrella_." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Yea, we are." Rachel agreed. Santana hugged Rachel close to her again. "Did we make the right choice?" Rachel asked. Without hesitation, Santana nodded.

"There's not a doubt in my mind. If I'd known how Adam and Blair felt, I would have suggested this a long time ago. I never want them to feel like they have to worry that I won't come home. I never want you to feel that way either, baby girl." Santana said.

"They've felt that way for a while." Rachel admitted.

"You knew?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I know you loved what you were doing and that you'd have that exact reaction. We worry about you. But just know that when you were an FBI agent, I was so proud of you. And I'm proud of you now. You put your kids before yourself." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Yea I know. But we needed to do this. I've been on the fence about living in the city ever since the kids got kidnapped. Its just not always the safest place, you know?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "I know that there's crime in every town, but I just... something about Lima makes me feel more at ease when the kids aren't with me." Santana said.

"I get it. I know exactly what you're talking about, San." Rachel said.

Santana and Rachel walked through the Lima Cemetery together. They had left the kids at Burt and Carole's house for the afternoon and went straight to the cemetery. Rachel looked up at the Latina. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. Santana looked down.

"The funeral. It was so much harder than Marco's. At least with his, I had my parents there to help me through it. They were the last of my family. I mean, you're my family of course, and the kids, but they were the last of my family that I grew up with. The one that I woke up to every birthday and Christmas as a child. The parents that I pretended to be embarrased by, but secretly admired. The brother that annoyed me, but I would kill for. All of a sudden, it was gone. I know I had you and your dads but-"

"San. I get it. I can't imagine going through that, and I was there." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana sat in the front row of chairs. She had decided to go with an outdoor funeral, because she knew that her parents would have liked that. Rachel walked up and sat next to her. "Hey... I've been looking for you." Rachel said._

_"I've been here." Rachel nodded._

_"San, you've barely said a word to anyone. Even me." Rachel said. _

_"What am I supposed to say, Rachel? If I say anything now, then nothing's going to come out when I'm expected to get up there and talk." Santana said. Rachel unconciously scooted back a bit. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you... but Ray, I don't think I can do it." Santana whispered._

_"Baby... you can. You're so strong." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "You can do this." Rachel whispered. Santana looked at her hands as the funeral began when it was her turn, she slowly walked up to the microphone. Racel bit her lip in anticipation._

_"My parents were amazing people who, like my brother, were taken from me too soon. They were loving, they... accepted..." Santana trailed off, looking for Rachel. "Ray..." she whispered. Rachel was out of her seat and in front of the crowd in record time. She turned Santana so that her back was facing the crowd and took her face into her hands. "I'm sorry." she whispered. Rachel shook her head._

_"You did good. You did so good." Rachel said. Santana shook her head. "You did good. Your parents would be proud that you even attempted to speak for them. They would be proud that you wrote an entire speech for them. You did good." Rachel said. Santana started crying. Brittany and Quinn started to stand up, but Puck was up there first and pulled the Latina into a hug._

_"You're gonna be okay, S." he whispered. He asked Rachel with his eyes if she wanted to hold Santana or finish the speech. She pulled her girlfriend back into her arms, knowing she would break down if she read the speech. Puck nodded and moved to the microphone. "I'm just gonna read this for her." he said before taking the speech out of Santana's hands. "MY parents were amazing people who, like my brother, were taken from me too soon. They were loving, they accepted me for who I was, they accepted who I love. They were there for me when the most important person in my life, my younger brother Marco, died three years ago. They were the only people who understood what I was going through and they were the only people who understood that I would never be completely whole again. They understood that there was one person that makes me get as close as I possibly can to feeling whole again and they accepted her without hesitation. They never made me feel bad about being myself. I think that they loved me even more when I finally decided to be honest with them and myself about who I really am and that I was able to find someone who loves me for being myself... my true self. I will always love my parents and my brother. They will always be my heroes. My brother, for fighting until the end and never giving up even when he knew how it was going to end. My mother, for being so compassionate and for loving my brother and I no matter what. And my father for pursing his dreams in becoming a doctor and being able to provide everything and more for his family. I hope that I can someday have these qualitites and become a better person from having those qualties in myself." Puck said, looking down as he finished. "S... that was beautiful." he said, not caring who heard him. Rachel nodded in agreement, holding back her tears._

_"I'm so proud of you." Rachel whispered._

_"I couldn't even read it myself." Santana said._

_"That doesn't matter. Just because Noah read them, that doesn't matter. They were still your words. You wrote them, not Noah." Rachel said._

_END FLASHBACK_

"I was so proud of you that day, you know." Rachel said. Santana looked over.

"Yea?"

"Yea. It didn't matter that you weren't able to finish talking yourself. In all honesty, I sort of expected it." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow. "The three days before the funeral, you'd flipped back and forth between wanting to speak and not wanting to speak. Even right up until the funeral actual began." Rachel said. Santana smiled. "The only thing that mattered was that you wrote that amazing speech, honoring your parents." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I was a wreck that day."

"Understandable."

"But you made me stronger." Santana said. Rachel paused.

"Me?" she whispered.

"You always make me stronger, baby girl" Santana said. Rachel smiled and grabbed Santana's hand.

"I love you so much." she said. Santana smiled.

"I love you too, Rach. So, so much. You're the only person I can really count on. I mean, I trust people, but you're the one person I can depend on no matter what. We're meant to be together, even if I did have to steal you from Finn and we had to sneak around behind his back to accomplish that. I still can't believe you actually did that. I honestly thought I had screwed it all up when I suggested it. I was already planning a song to apologize to you in Glee Club." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"I'm glad you asked me to be your girlfriend that day." Rachel said.

"Me too."


End file.
